The Book of 'Twins'
by Living Chain
Summary: Mid-August, Isshin asks his son to do his cleaning duty. Troubles appear as Ichigo finds an old photograph he have never seen before, a picture of him hugging an exact copy of him, except his whole body and hair is all white. Chapter 9 updated. HichiXIchi
1. The Photo of 'Twins'

Well, this is my first story at Bleach fandom, so please be nice to me and ignore the obvious grammar mistakes! *kicked*. Just kidding, but please don't flame, 'kay? Critics are always welcomed but I just loathe flame… Oh, Ichigo still working as a Shinigami/Soul Reaper/God of Death/whatever you called that here, in case you're wondering :P It's just Hollow Ichi is not here yet (why would I put him off from the fic when the summary said it would be a HichiXIchi? Lol) and is set before the Arrancar Arc (and maybe, I think I wouldn't make them appeared here). Well, without further ado, please enjoy!!

Summary: Mid-August, Isshin asked his son to do his cleaning duty. Then again, troubles appear as Ichigo found an old photograph he had never seen before, a picture of him hugging an exact copy of him, except his whole body and hair is all white. HichiXIchi in later chapter.

Disclaimers: As much I wanted to have a real Hollow Ichi in my room, it will never be granted, cursed the fate as Tite Kubo actually owns him *sob*

* * *

"ICHIIIIIIIIIII…

GOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

The wail is just too obvious for the substitute Shinigami to notice, quickly rolling to the far-end of the small bed, making his father's kick kicked the spring bed, making a lot of _'squeak!!' _sounds, produced by the coil in the bed that made Isshin bouncing on the now luckily vacant bed, just like one who's playing on a trampoline.

Just before he fell, Ichigo quickly grabbed the edge of his bed and landed a kick exactly at the old man's ribs, making him flying out to the window (somehow Ichigo forgot to closed it that night, no wonder he felt so cold) and of course, the man falling right onto the earth downward, making a loud sound of _'BAAAAM!!!'_ and barely audible, sound of crater falling down too.

He just watched in amusement as his father's head successfully hit the gritted earth down there, making blood spilled from the goatee's head to everywhere.

Not that he would care anyway. That old man wouldn't die because of _just _that, he thought as he could saw his father suddenly rose up on his feet, energetic as ever and running down towards the Kurosaki Clinic behind his back, automatic doors opened freely greeting him.

His usual frown went deeper as he heard a loud thumping of feet walking on the stairs, and there goes his father, standing in front of him _unharmed_, except of the red-tilted ooze pouring down on his face. But then again he just looked as cheerful as ever.

Really, if anything, that man should have taken the art of dark magic to protect his body like that, he thought to himself even when Ichigo doesn't believe in such things like superstition and what-not.

Or maybe his father HAD, even an obscure things like a Soul Reaper existed when Ichigo have the ability to saw ghost since he was a child. And it's been about 15 years he had lived without noticing even the slightest presence to their existences.

"Oh, my son!!" chirped Isshin cheerfully just like always, ignoring the blood which dripped onto the wooden floor below and staining it with red mark. "Seems you had grown significantly to dodged such an attack like that!"

"Yeah, as if I hadn't grown significantly, I would have died because of my old man broke his son's neck intentionally." The younger Kurosaki replied with a glared plastered on his face.

"Ooh, anyway Ichigo!!" he said, changing the subject as Isshin padded on the wooden floor, making Ichigo prepared his horses to dodge another sudden attack from his hectic father, before finally receiving a broom and an old rag, handed over by Isshin.

"What is this?"

"Ooooh, noo!!!" Isshin shouted in agony. "My son doesn't even know what a broom is?!! I've failed as a father!! Masaki—"

"Shut up, goatface!!" screamed Ichigo as his feet kicked the oldest Kurosaki in the stomach, covered with flame of anger before his heretic father could crying over to the photograph of her deceased mother which Isshin always carried along in his pocket. Karin is right, as much as he missed his mother, he wouldn't gone all cry-baby to _a dead_ item such as a photograph. It's annoying.

"I know what broom is!! What I don't know is why you handed it to me!? Where's Yuzu!?"

Isshin pinched his nose as blood could be seen pouring down from both holes thanks to his son's punch, tears coming out from his watery eyes. "Don't you know, my son? They went to a school trip."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow of confusion, and then a bulb of light lit above his head; yeah, the twins did say they'll go to Tokyo for a trip yesterday. And he's oversleep! He can't imagine Yuzu's sad face and Karin's angry face in their departure to Tokyo without their only brother accompanying. He felt bad about it, but then again he can't do anything about it right now. Well, he should apologize to her sisters later after they come home.

He then asked to his crying father, "And can't you just make yourself doing the cleaning duty?"

"Sadly but I can't, my son!!" he cried in such a disgusting manners that wanted to make Ichigo vomits. "I have to scrubbed all of Masaki's photo so she'll always be polished as alwa—oophf!!"

"Yeah! Yeah!! Just go now, old goat!!" shouted Ichigo in a malevolent way as he threw the dirty rag that successfully hit his father's face, being disgusted by his act. "I'll do the cleaning so can you _**please**_ leave?!!"

He shouted at his father as his palm pushed against his father's back, trying to make him go out right now and there.

After finally, being able to pushed his crazed father out of his room (although he still could heard his father's cry), he stared at the broom and the rag which were left motionless on the floor.

He sighed, and then said to himself, "Well, time to get work then."

* * *

Isshin walked towards the door of his both house and clinic, silence hovering around him. Sighing faintly, he tilted up his head after he took a step outside the clinic, watching the second level of his house, staring blackly at the opened window of his son's room, and watched in silence as he could saw his son's palm pulling the window's white frame to close it up, and then sheathed its curtain.

He shook his head once, before finally walked along the road, pulling some kind of sheet op paper, no, it was a photo, actually, from his pocket, showing a white-haired boy smiling at him cheerfully, both tanned white hands waving at the camera.

He sighed once more, and put it back to his pocket.

* * *

Ichigo groaned in distress as they were, amusingly, too many dust at each corner of his house. He was surprised by how much his blonde sister had made their house all clean and tidy. Well, if a patient found out that the clinic was dirty, they could be sued anyway. Luckily that old man closed the clinic today, too. At Sunday, were most people are free to take some treatment that couldn't be done in any other day, hence the work and school and stuff like that, which made him thought for a moment; it was strange for his father to just close his clinic that easily, either he was busy at the moment (busy of what? Ichigo thought that to himself sarcastically) or, something must had happened.

But what could that be? Come to think of it, the old goat wore a normal outfits today and yesterday, either. It was strange, he thought to himself as his head tilted to the left side of the family room, looking at the calendar that hanging freely on the white wall up there beside a small wooden table.

It's still August, 10th of August, more exactly. Nowhere near the exact date of their mother leaving them for eternity.

He then remembered something as he broomed the dust out from the corner. Each time of the year, his father would began acting weird twice a year. One near the time of his wife's death and one again between the mid-firsts of August, which was about these days.

Maybe someone passed away around this time.

But he knew exactly, that his father is not the type who will act sulky upon someone's death. He will instead act (too) energetic as ever, cheering his grieving children with his (annoying) acts. But then again having a pretty havoc father like him around was not bad, so Ichigo didn't mind it.

He then turned his body around to move to his parent's, scratch that, his father's bedroom to mop around, grabbing the doorknob and twisted it, making a _'click'_ sound and finally opened it, revealing the large bedroom which was used by both of his mom and his father once, looking a the big-sized bed covered with brown thick blanket.

He quickly walked trying to not look at his father's weird outfit (a look-like-to-be pajamas with a big weird smiling star in the center –somehow the smile seemed to be mocking Ichigo- and a blue buggy pants with a sparkling rainbow colored stars here and there. If he wanted, maybe that cursed outfits of his pop already be burnt to ash. But he _tried_ to not to) before his hip hit something so it fell.

"Ugh, what is it!?" he shouted to no one as the thing, or rather, things hit his poor feet more than once.

He looked down, and found out the thing that had just hit him was some set of books.

…no… Looking at it more carefully, he realized that it just not some kind of cooking books that his father used to read. Instead those books were a set of photo album, as he could saw some of the photographs flying freely in front of him.

He caught one of the photos which were flying like a feather and then flipped it over to the cover front; a photo of his old man hugging Masaki, whose stomach was swollen like a big-fat watermelon.

Ichigo looked at the date placed on the corner edge of the photo, curious by her mother's weird posture.

It's the year of 1985, when her mother was pregnanting him.

And he will be killed by his raging father in regards of his insolent actions such as ruining Isshin's favorite photo album.

* * *

That old goat never showed him this album.

That's just more than enough to make Ichigo irked in anger, fingers fidgeting restlessly against the hard-covered book that was now in his hand, wanting to punch or crush or squeeze or… anything to leash his anger!

But, this book… It's all full of her mother's smiling face. When she was playing at the beach, curly hair waving blown by the wind. When his husband hugging him from the back, a small smile seen from her attractive lips. When she rubbed her own watermelon-like tummy, cannot wait patiently to have her first son ever! When Isshin kissed her pink cheek gently…

Everything was full of joy and happiness, he thought that to himself as his palm rubbed his watery chocolate eyes. He was being both happy and regretful in the same time, happy that he could saw his mother's reassuring face again in his father's treasured photo album, and regretful as he was the one… the one that made that face lost to the abyss forever.

He rubbed his nearly-crying eyes again, as if his father was here, his calm and gentle words echoing in his head, that it was not his fault.

Well, he had tried to believe that and move forward, but the burden… burden being the only one who witnessed his mother's death in the hand of a godamn Hollow was just too painful for being just forgotten so easily like that.

He scratched his not-itchy orange hair while still holding the book with his other hand, inhaling and exhaling, trying to not cry anymore, and finally closed the book and then put it beside him. It's enough with the nostalgia time.

Just before he wanted to stand up to continue his task, he saw another photo album that fell together along with the other albums (of course including the album he read just now), though he didn't see that book before, yet his chocolate eyes glued to the title on the album's cover.

'_Twins'_ he read the title on the cover.

Ichigo then giggled a little before finally sitting cross-leg again on the bright red-carpeted room (Isshin wanted to made it more… 'kingdom-ness' he said, instead of choosing another more plain colored carpet), completely forgot about the cleaning duty his father gave to him that morning. What kind of brother doesn't want to look at his sister's playful act on the age of 3? Possibly all kind of photos were stored inside the album, Karin playing a robot, Yuzu playing with her dolls, both of them taking a bath together…

Wait, he's not slowly turning into Kon, is he?

Regardless of the thought, he opened the cover book.

Instead of the picture of Yuzu and Karin taking a bath together, he got a photo of an orange-haired boy smiling cheerfully, brown chocolate eyes shining brightly as the sun shone above him.

It was… him…?

Being unsure, Ichigo turned the cover again to check the title.

It's clearly _'Twins'_ that was written there, 'cept his eyes started turning blind.

Heck, was his father really had gone mad for mistaking his 'sons' as a twin? Maybe yes, even that old goat had forgotten for how many years his wife had passed. 10 years? Ichigo would have grown an _orange_ goatee just like his father's. A freakin' _orange_ goatee! His hair was bad enough! He just could only hope that his hormones were not high enough to make a freakin' goatee like that.

Ichigo shook his head, trying to put down the confusion out from his head.

He then opened the book again, once again saw the orange-haired boy photo –the younger him- on the first page.

He noticed then; a blank, more brighter spot at the left corner on the page. The spot had the same size as his old photo's, but his was placed more to the upper left corner of the page, while the blank spot was more at the bottom right corner.

It had been taken by someone. And that someone, was someone that Ichigo clearly knew who he was.

He sighed a little; it's really not like his father to hide something like this. Was this 'someone' really an important and secret, yet pretty sensitive matter to him? And he once again thought about the odd title on the cover;_ 'Twins'_. Heck, maybe Ichigo really HAD a twin brother that, SOMEHOW, he can't remember at all.

He shook his head, there was just too much things in his head. It can't be. He didn't have a twin, even how unlogical his father was. How can you have a twin brother when you didn't even have any slightest memories about him? Or her, maybe, if your twin was a girl.

No, no, it was twisted of him. If he keep thinking twisted things like this, sooner or later he will be the one who become twisted himself, Ichigo said that to himself, shaking his head once more.

He then turned the book to the second page, and was shocked by the picture in front of him.

It was him. It was the younger Ichigo. It was the orange-haired boy hugging a tightly white-haired boy that's just exactly look like him. The white-haired boy, no, not just hair, but face, hands, neck… everything was covered with sheer whiteness, a very pale white, and he as look almost identical to the younger Ichigo. He really wanted to look away from the photo as he started feeling queasy somehow, but it's like his eyes were glued to the photo.

But the thing that he wanted to averted his eyes from most, but can't, was a pair of glimmering golden eyes on the white boy's face. It's the only thing that differs Ichigo from the boy (except all of his white skin and hair). He felt scared, it's scary, as someone bad was inquiring him, looking through his entire mind from the inside, yet the people was standing still in front of him, looking at him with a triumphant face.

Not too long after that, suddenly Ichigo felt an extreme dizziness roaming on the head of his. It's so painful that he can't even regain his composure, resulting the fall of the book onto the carpeted floor downward.

"What… the…,"

His body fell to the ground, mimicking the book's fall just about some seconds ago, all limbs were stiff and numb while both of Ichigo's hand grasped it tightly, clutching his own body, nor did he can to move it around, it's just like someone had petrified him by an unknown force.

_'Unknown force… is it… reiatsu…?' _He thought to himself while his consciousness started to slipping away from him.

He tried to not close eyes, but the buzzing in his head were really painful he just wanted to die right away.

And by the time he nearly closed his eyes shut, he heard a far, distorted voices reaching out to him, calling his name in a cold, rough voice.

"Ichigo…,"

_-to be continued

* * *

_

How was the first chapter, folks? Was it good? Was it bad? I think it's more to the latter, huh…? Well, critics are always welcomed!! (Just don't flame me D:) and if you want me to continue this fic, say it at the review, 'kay? Thank you :)


	2. The Wound of 'Twins'

First of all, thank you for all of your reviews and faves! I was pretty shocked with the '8 faves' on this crappy story! Really, I love you all, guys! *give a big hug* Oh, and I forgot to add this in the previous chapter, but Ichigo's twin's (Uuh… You must all know from long ago that he was Hollow Ichi, right…?) sclera was still as a normal sclera would be. Only his irises stood still with the golden bright color (I wonder, most of 'cynical crazed other-self always had golden iris, they should have used red instead! *kicked*). Well, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter then! :)

Summary: That hoarse voice, was Ichigo just being delusional? Yet he wounded his chest by a Hollow's attack, and when he woke up, Ichigo ended in his mind, a white-tanned boy standing still in front of him, holding a white Zangetsu he shoved on the puzzled Ichigo's neck.

Disclaimer: Hollow Ichi is yet to be mine, as Tite Kubo still has the copyrights to strapped him in a dark room and rap-uuh… Bleach's not mine okay?

* * *

"Ichi…o…,"

"Ichi…go…,"

Ichigo."

He frowned his eyebrow in annoyance of the never-ending voice that seems to leash near his ear.

He adjusted his position in sleep, in hope for the voice to be gone.

"Ichigo, wake up!!"

His frown went deeper, groaned in distress as something soft poked his cheek. He gritted his teeth in anger thought still closing his tired eyes, wanting to sleep more than ever.

The poke kept continues, he just can't stand it anymore!! He shouted in his mind and finally reaching the 'something' that poked him a few times earlier (although he was confused by how tiny and soft the 'hand' was) and grasped it hardly, making the owner of the hand squeaked (?).

The squeak was too familiar to him that made him frowned deeper in anger; it was the voice of one certain doll that he hated the most, lifting the small hand and threw it to nowhere as he still close his eyes.

"GYAAAA!!! O-onee-san!!" shrieked the voice while a soft _'thuuump!!' _sound reached Ichigo's ears.

"Just. Wake. Up. Ichigo!!!!"

His eyes opened widely by force when suddenly something _really _hard kicked his face right at the jaw, making his stiff body flying onto the wall, and finally orange head hit the hard surface of the white wall at Isshin's room, making Ichigo screamed in pain.

"How many times I need to shout your name before you truly awake, Kurosaki Ichigo!?" shouted a feminine voice coming from Ichigo's back while the redhead rubbed his bleeding scalp thanks to the damn wall.

"Shut up, Rukia." Ichigo replied in harsh tone, feeling annoyance as he tilted his head to look at the female Shinigami who was standing behind him in her _gigai_; wearing a green one-piece dress with a dark blue polka dot on its frilly part. "Then again you don't need to freaking kicked me on the face, do you?" he asked the black-haired Shinigami that was more intended to be a critics rather than a question itself.

After a moment to regain his balance and rose up on his feet, scrubbing away the spec of dust that was clutching to his blue jeans that he wore right now, he then saw a familiar face (or more like, 'things') that was hugging to the naked leg of Kuchiki Rukia, a very dirty and a rugged doll (well, that was what Ichigo thought about it anyway) with a brown hazel fabric, shaped like a chibified lion. It was none other than the perverted _kaizou konpaku_, Kon.

"Hueeeeeeng!!! Onee-san!! Silly Ichigo is being mean to me—buppf!!"

Kon, once again, flying towards the wall after being kicked in the face by his _dear_ onee-san, tears coming like a river flow before finally banged the white wall with his soft face.

Ichigo could only watched as sweat dropped on his forehead, feeling bemused by the scene he just watched just now.

And then, before he could scold Rukia for being ignorant such as entering his father's room freely (well, Isshin did take her as his 'third daughter' but Ichigo prohibited her for entering his parent's room. Privacy, he said), Rukia took a step forward and showed him her white hand phone in her clutch, on the screen showing some group of white triangle symbols, beeping noise could be heard from the phone, too.

"A horde of Hollows were detected by Soul Society 5 minutes ago, they seems to be forming a group at the hill, south of Karakura. There's no time to talk, as they are heading here now as we talk." Said Rukia solemnly and hastily grasped Ichigo's wrist and quickly ate a bead-like candy –the soul candy of Chappy-, real form of the female Shinigami seems to torned the _gigai _of her, like a butterfly coming out from its womb.

"Shi—can't you just wait till I turned into Shinigami first!?" Ichigo shouted at his Shinigami partner as his left hand pushed the skull-craved badge onto his chest, making his soul left the lifeless body of his on the carpeted-floor of his father's room, and then quickly leapt into the air, following Rukia as she headed first to guide him.

"Kon!! Chappy!! Take care of our bodies, 'kay!?" Rukia shouted to the opened window of Isshin's room to both of the artificial soul (Chappy's waving her hand, mouth moving swiftly which seems to be saying 'pyon' –means she said 'yes'- while Kon was grieving over the red tattoo of Rukia's palm in his 'handsome' face) as she dashed forward on the blue sky of Karakura Town.

When he was following the raven-haired Shinigami, Ichigo then realized about something.

It was the book that he remembered, the book set of albums he was reading before. The book was gone…, as there were none of them to be seen on the floor when he woke up just now.

No… he tried to remember the room again more clearly before he was dragged by Rukia to exterminate the Hollows, placing his finger on his forehead, trying to think although that act didn't help him in a slightest way. When he woke up (or forcefully woke up thanks to Rukia's kick) there was none of it, even a single book, on the carpet. Or else his head would instead hit the book, not the wall. The bed… It's still as neat and tidy as ever, so it was clearly not there.

Or the desk…? He _did _see some kind of a set of books placed on the small desk in the room, slightly blur though, since he saw it when he was 'flying' because of the female Shinigami's kick.

He sighed in relief. His father would really kill him if he lost the book.

But who packed the books up into one bundle and put it on the desk? Rukia? Rukia was _not_ that delicate.

And then he remembered again about being collapse after seeing one of the photos in the album titled as 'Twins'…

That boy… That white boy… That glimmering golden eyes of the boy!

He was silence for a moment, being terrified as he remembered the creepy eyes of the boy again.

It was not top long after that that the female Shinigami noticed the odd-behavior of her hot-blooded friend, looking back at the spiky haired Shinigami, still running throughout the sky.

"Are you okay, Ichigo?"

Ichigo closed his eyes, trying to wash the thought away from his mind, before shaking his head twice, replying Rukia's question.

"I'm alright…,"

* * *

A cobbled road full of silence stands before his eyes.

It's only been about 2 months since they were here to visit their deceased mother's grave, but Isshin can't help but being lonely.

As he walked along the soft cobbled road at the graveyard; separating the left and right wing of the gloomy yard, he saw some souls, all crying and wailing over their deaths, despair devouring them from inside. He too saw some of them having a very short soul chain in their chest; it won't be long for them to finally become a Hollow after everything pain they had experienced.

Maybe it's a good thing to _konsou_'d them now, but it was not his business anymore. Heh, sooner or latter, his 'third daughter' would sensed them anyway, he thought to himself as he washed away the thought.

He took out a cigarette from his pocket, litting it with fire with a metallic litter and put it into his mouth, sapping it as he could feel the smoke running down in his throat.

He stopped walking, and then tilted his head to the left and looked at the name craved on the tombstone.

'_Kurosaki Masaki'_

He smiled a little before shoving his body forward, giving a happy face to the dead stone in front.

"Hello, Masaki." He said, speaking to none.

"It's been 2 months, yeah? There's not so much to do now in the clinic." Isshin continued, laughing nervously while his hand rubbed the back of his neck even it's not itchy.

"Well, and Ichigo come back safely from that place, too. That boy is so rude, huh? Sneak up in the middle of the night without saying goodbye to me or his sisters." He laughed again, huffing the stagnant smoke out from his mouth.

"Well… The time is near…," he said again, now in a soft and slow tone, sighing as he runs out of cigarette and threw the rest of the carcinogenic thing onto the road, quickly stomped it with his shoes to died down its fire.

"I wonder where he is now…," the eldest of the Kurosaki family moved deeper to the sea of tombstone behind Masaki's grave, all kind of smell of incenses everywhere as he proceed forward, to a little rave near the edge of the hill; a small grave that's hard to be seen thanks to the bush covering it, not to add that its place was secluded to the others.

"Are you in Soul Society now…," he asked tentatively to the small grave in front of him, asking for no reply as he read the name engraved into the tombstone before his black lit eyes.

"Hichigo?"

* * *

"Shit!!"

The orange-haired boy cursed as one the cat-like Hollows tore his Shihakushou with a long claw. The Hollow, having a mask that resembling a cat with 2 long tails waving at his back (well, honestly it's more like a nekomata rather than a normal cat, as they were more demonic, Ichigo thought to himself), bite the torn out Shihakushou silk fiercely, mistaking it as flesh, before threw it from its mouth.

Behind his back, there was Rukia fighting a couple of Hollows hugging together as one unity, both bodies merged together to one like of a play-dough being squeezed together.

The wobbled Hollows marched forward to the female Shinigami like a dance of tango; both hands lunged in attempt to attack her in the chest. But it was futile, as the raven-haired Shinigami leapt into the air, holding her blade and outstretched both hands, beckoning its name as she released its Shikai state.

"Dance, So de no Shirayuki!!"

Exactly after saying the phrase, white translucent silk like-paper began to form in the now white, spotless sword's hilt. The earth beneath her started to turned all cold and icy, transparent ice formed on it, making the Hollows' jumbled feet slipped and fell onto the frozen ground, making the ice cracked a little because of its weight.

She then dived downward, white-colored sword pointed to the mask of both merged Hollows that were unluckily frozen thanks to the ice of So de no Shirayuki. It's not too long before the fragments of both Hollows flew and swirled around in the night blue sky, Rukia's head tilted up to look at how the white fragments loose to the darkness of the night.

She turned her head, looking cautiously at the rest of the Hollows. But she was shocked, purple eyes widening, when she saw Ichigo was completely surrounded by another horde of Hollows –possibly more or less 10 big Hollows were ganking him. She could only noticed his presences because of his reiatsu and an inch of a weird orange color in the middle of all white in the horde.

But why did the Hollows only targeted the redhead? Why didn't they attack her instead when she was on her off-guard? She thought to herself as she could saw a big black blade flailing on t air trying to kept the Hollows away as well as trying to slash them on the mask.

It seems like… he was just calling them…

She startled a little as she could felt Ichigo's reiatsu getting weaker and weaker, to the part she couldn't sensed it anymore. It was foolish of her!! She screamed to herself as she dashed forward, slashing through the Hollows, trying to cleared up the way.

Why would she was thinking over about useless things like that, feeling bemused with the scenes in front of her. She knew very well; careless in battle means death, and some carelessness would ended up as someone dying. Dying!! Like Kaien's death!! It was because her, and Rukia wouldn't let that happen anymore.

Why she didn't remember about Ichigo's condition and help him instead? He already acted strange just now on the way here, and she was the second to Orihime to know 'what would happen to Ichigo in battle if something was bothering him'. He would act worse, to the part he will be killed in ease.

"Ichigo!!" she shouted to the motionless body in front of her. It was Ichigo, a Hollow like-snake grasped his wrist tightly, as it was trying to eat the nearly passed out Shinigami.

Her eyes widened in fear as she noticed some blood pouring down from a fresh wound in his defenseless chest, all silk that was covering the part was torned out because of the Hollows' attack. Rukia screamed, she lunged forward with white blade in hand.

The Hollow which was holding Ichigo stunned a little when suddenly its feet began to be covered in ice, as well as the rest of the Hollows at the hill.

The snake-like Hollow roared, feeling pain as he released Ichigo's wrist and made him bumped onto the earth beneath, frowning as he coughed, feeling the pain of hitting the gritted earth and once more coughing again, making his chin covered in red ooze.

After the Hollow was completely frozen in ice, she slashed all the white cube in mere seconds with her _shunpou _ability, making the blocks of ice scattered like a snow powder along with the Hollows within it. The female Shinigami quickly ran to the coughing Ichigo on the ground, crouching her body so she could have a good look and examined the fresh wound on his friend's chest.

Ichigo!! Can you hear me!?"

The only reply she got was a faint gasping.

She outstretched both of her hands quickly, trying to use her healing _kidou_ spell although still panicking, hands and fingers trembling as she mumbled the incantation. The spell was successful; her hand began to glow in an orange light and pointing it to the wound.

She hoped that it's not too late.

"Ichigo… Please wake up…! Answer me, Ichigo!!"

Ichigo could only saw Rukia's purple eyes flickering as more tears dropped from her eyelid, hitting his dry cheek that was covered in blood, watching silently as the warm light began to cover his entire body.

But he couldn't resist the temptation to just close his eyes.

He didn't feel pain anymore, he just feeling sleepy.

But he knew very well; if he closes his eyes, he might not wake up forever.

"Ichigo! ICHIGO!!!"

_'__I'm sorry… Rukia…'_

_'I can't stand it... anymore...'_

Ichigo closed his eyes, letting his consciousness slipped away from him.

* * *

"Ichi…o…,"

"Ichi…go…,"

"Wake up, Ichigo."

"He frowned his eyebrow in annoyance of the never-ending voice that seems to be leashed near his ear.

He adjusted his position, in hope for the voice to be gone.

"Hihihihi… Are ya jus' bein' a sleepy head, King?"

The redhead woke up in fear after hearing that terrific giggle. It was the voice that was calling him before he passed out after watching the album. The queasy feeling that hit him right in the stomach when he saw the white boy's eyes!

He looked back and forth and gasped a little when he realized that he was in his own world; a world where everything was upside-down, countless sky-crappers building standing still in the twisted world of his mind.

He raised his eyebrow, cold sweat still beading on his face, for not finding anyone who have _that _terrifying voice.

"Oh, King…! How sweet of ya to lookin' fer me!!"

He was stunned by the giggle of the sudden voice, more sweat pouring down on his terrified face when a cold hand stroked his head, sending into his spine.

He turned back, only to be greeted by a sharp, cold metallic thing that tusked his neck, some tear of blood pouring down on his neck that was already damp with sweat.

The thing that tusked him; it was Zangetsu, a white Zangetsu, being held by an odd-wearing Shinigami (a pure white Shihakushou that seems to be just an exact copy of Ichigo's, 'sans the white part).

And that Shinigami who wore the weird Shihakushou, believe it or not, was pretty familiar with Ichigo in every way. It's just like he was looking at his twisted reflection on a magical mirror…

A white-tanned skin.

Spiky white hair.

A black sclera, and…

A _golden iris_.

The familiar man grinned widely; more sweat pouring down on Ichigo's stunned face after looking at the creepy and yet happy too of that man's face.

"Hello, Ichi-otouto."

_-to be continued.

* * *

_

Okay… I wrote this chapter _real_ quick, about 2 days in school, since usually it would take me about 1 full month to finish a chapter (either being lazy, busy playing game, or having a buncha exam at school xD). And, was it odd calling someone with '-otouto'? Since I've never encountered such word in… probably anywhere… Uuh, well, I just intended to straight out the thing that Ichigo was the younger twin, while Hichigo is the older one. And, of course you didn't think I will ended it all in chapter 2, right? :P There will be more to come. And would you mind clicking the button below and giving me some review or two? Don't hesitate to critics me in either my grammar, typos, story (if you don't like it), writing style (i know my writing style sucks. It's because i was influenced by the writing style of my first English novel i read, and can't copy the style nicely) or anything! Really! But just don't flame me, 'kay? ;) Bye-bye then!


	3. The Memory of 'Twins'

I know some of you may have noticed it already, but… There were SO hellish many typos including some missing words at the previous chapter! I realized it when looking back at it. Uuh, so with this chapter published, I've also edited chapter 2 so you might enjoy it to the fullest for anyone who haven't read it (feel free to re-read it if you want, tho :P) Oh, and for **QT Pie **and **terserah-lo-mau-manggil-gw-apa** (nice pen-name by the way ;D) of course I will explain how Hichigo become and ended up as Ichi's Hollow/Ichi's mind. But it will be in latter chapters xD Curious? Well stay tuned and enjoy chapter 3 ahead!

Summary: The vision in front of him, was it just a trap from the white boy or his mind speaks the truth? Now, how can he tell apart between reality and dream?

Btw, should I change the rating to T? Please answer it in the review button beneath. I really need your help! D: Since I don't want this story to get deleted… (I don't know about you readers, but…)

Disclaimer: Bleach is still not mine, or else I'd make Hollow Ichi as the main character, lulz. Yaa, I love to make the antagonist to become the protagonist lol. *take a glance to Light from DN*

* * *

"Wh-who are you!?" Ichigo shouted with a quaver in his one, looking at the white-tanned boy who stood in front of him with a white Zangetsu in hand, pointing its sharp point to the terrified redhead's neck.

"Hm…?" the white boy raised an eyebrow after hearing Ichigo's question, the once-a-grin lips turned down, giving a confused look.

"Are ya… possibly don' remember me, King?"

"What!? Remember what!?" Ichigo shouted in reply, the terrified eyes changed into a glare at the still-stood-in-silence of the white man. "I d-don't remember ever having an acquaintance like _you_!" he continued, now slightly harsh to the white man's ears.

"…not even a slightest bit…?" the unknown boy's golden eyes shot towards the substitute Shinigami, having a change of tone in his once-hoarse voice and giving him a pleading look.

Ichigo was stunned a bit by his sudden change of expression, when suddenly something hit his head as he saw the white man's face.

It was a sudden struck of pain that gave him a headache on Ichigo's mind. He crouched down, clinging on his feet as both of his hand clutched his scalp, trying to make the pain go away, although it did not help even a little.

_A scenery began to manifested before his eyes. At first, it was blurry; he couldn't see anything like a static buzzing from an old television. Then, the blurry screen starts to get thinned off; now he could see three shadows (yet he still can't make it for what the shadows were)._

_As the blur started to get thinner and thinner, now he had a good look to where he was right now. A room, a medium sized room with a wooden floor beneath his feet which were wearing the straw sandals of Shinigami's. A wooden-oak door that was more like a cabinet at the left side of the room, while an opened window with a white frame and light green curtains hanging nicely at the left side of the room._

_It now strucked him clearly; this was his room._

_And then he heard a barely audible mumbling coming from the left side of the room. He tilted his head, now found two boys about the age of 6 and a slender and gorgeous woman with curly long hair crouching beside the bed which the two boys currently were sitting on, with one boy (a pale-looking boy who had a white hair and white skin, not to add he was wearing a white t-shirts, too. He's more likely to be a snow princess, cut that, snow prince if not for his commoner clothes) being covered with a white blanket of his lower body._

"_Hichigo, you need to eat first before you sleep, okay?" the pretty woman (Ichigo realized that the woman was his mother, no wonder she felt pretty familiar to him) asked the white, more paler boy than the other who was sitting more closer to her, eyebrow raised into a frown._

"_I'm not 'ungry, mom." The boy (literally Hichigo, as she called him with the 'odd' and familiar-in-a-way name) replied simply, still not fazed with her calm voice. "I can still live wit' out eatin' a day."_

"_Oh, no, you're not going to just leave your fat tummy all empty, are you?" the woman smiled in a caressing way while her smooth hand poked the white-covered-with-clothes tummy of the boy, making 'Hichigo' covered his mouth with the blanket, mumbling incoherently (cursing? Or just being shy? Ichigo thought to himself), a pink blush could be seen on his white cheek._

"_Or you're not going to play with your brother tomorrow." Masaki smiled triumphantly, playing her trump card as the white boy's face turned into a shocked expression with a mouth agape._

"_But--!!"_

"_There's no 'but-but', Kurosaki Hichigo," Masaki quickly cut the boy's voice before he could give another pro-contrary. "or you'll stay in the house all day."_

"_Eeh, just do as what mother told, Hichi." The other boy who looked just like Ichigo (brown chocolate eyes with pointy orange hair, although he was younger) and 'Hichigo' too that sat on the right side of the double-sized bed kneeled the white boy's shoulder softly, giving a crack smile as he did so._

"_We're gonna play football match with the boys at school tomorrow! And you're not gonna miss it. It's once-in-a-lifetime only show!"_

_The white boy looked at the younger version of Ichigo, still giving a deadpan look before his lips cracked to a faint smile, giggling mockingly at the still-smiling younger Ichigo._

"_Che. You 'r exaggeratin' it too much, Ichigo." Said Hichigo to the orange-haired boy and then tilted his head to the left, looking at Ichigo's mother reassuring face._

"_Fine, mom. You win, where's the ugly white liquid I need to chunk down in order for ya two to be happy?"_

"_It's not 'ugly white liquid', Hichigo. It's called porridge." Her 'mother' corrected his word –a smile still hanging on the edge of her lips- although surely knowing that his son knew what the correct phrase was. She then lifted a bowl from the desk behind her with hot steam coming from the slimy white substances._

_As the boy gobbled down the entire spoon full of porridge handed by his mother, Ichigo hugged him tightly, making the white boy startled a little before blushing, still chewing down the food in his mouth._

"_Now we could… pl…y tog…er tom…rrow…," his voice was disturbed by a faint buzzing that kept getting louder and louder as time passes._

"Wait…," _the real Ichigo talked to the shadowed graphic of once-three-peoples there as his hand outstretched forward, trying to reach the trio as the imaginary started to be darkened by a black void, although he still could hear a faint voice of the younger him._

"…_ight…,"_

"_Hichi-nii?"_

The moment he opened his eyes, he only saw a strand of white hairs, owned by the evil-looking white boy, looking at him mockingly. The white boy, he was crouching down, tilting his head to the side to look at Ichigo who was leaning down on the side of the twisted sky-crapper building, hand outstretched forward just like how he did in his 'dream' just now.

In the end, he was still in the twisted up-side downed world of his mind. Still trapped with the malevolent boy. Still trapped between the rift of dream and reality, as his 'unconscious' mind was the gap who aparted it all.

But was it just a dream?

Or his mind spoke the truth?

"Thing your brain's all good now, King?" he asked mockingly with a grin always plastered on his dead-like face.

"Do ya remember me now?"

Ichigo could only wheeze and wheeze a little since somehow it made him hard to breath because of the stagnant air thanks to the white boy's presences, left hand clutching to his chest, grasping the black silk of his Shihakushou tightly as the white boy who was standing in front of him, all high and mighty, gave him a smirk.

His right hand which was outstretched just now grasped the white boy's ankle, whispering something inaudibly.

"Hmm…?" the odd-wearing white Shinigami leaned his head forward, separated only by mere inches with Ichigo's nose bridge. "What didja say?"

"…go…"

"What?"

"Hichigo…," Ichigo said the word again as his grasp tightened to his ankle. "that was… your name…, was it…?"

Hichigo smiled a little, but not in a malevolent way, not with a smirk, instead he nodded slightly, giving another smile and said, "Yup. You 'r indeed a quick learner, aren't ya, King?"

Ichigo coughed a little more, as trying to get oxygen to his seemed-to-be-empty lung. His chest was painful, and it seemed it was infecting the inner part of his body, especially at the line where he had been slashed with the Hollow's claws in the latest battle.

"…why… why are you calling her 'mother'!?" he shrieked loudly at the white boy who still having his wide smile, nearly turning into a grin, on his face.

"Why, ya say? You 'r jus' bein' silly, nee? Kurosaki Masaki was _my_ mother. Was it strange enoug' to call someone as 'mother', especially if she had a special relationship to you, such as… 'family'?" he said simply in an easy-going manner, although the last word sounded to be said with a sarcasm, as if he really understands about what Ichigo had seen and meant accordingly earlier. "Eeh… Or ya want me to call her 'old had' instead?" he chuckled jokingly that made Ichigo's grasp got even tighter, feeling insulted by the joke.

"You…!!" D-don't you dare call her 'mother' or even 'old hag' anymore, imposter!!"

His smile died down, turning into a death glare as his eyebrow twitched –either being angered or just startled by the title he was given. Hichigo then swifted his black-nailed hand, both thumb and his index-finger squeezed Ichigo's chin and pulling it up, so their eyes crossed, making Ichigo could saw the black sclera and the black iris clearly, queasy feeling planted once again deep in his stomach.

"And what did you call me an 'imposter' for, Ichigo?" his voice was pretty distorted and dry.

"Who did I 'imposed', Ichigo? Did I 'impose' you? No, right? You _saw_ that. The vision."

"Or ya jus' bein' jealous cuz I got _your_ mother's attention? You 'r jus' bein' childish, King." He now gave a large grin, returning to his once-demeanor voice, making Ichigo struggled even more to escape from the man's grip.

The white boy –Hichigo- sighed a little, seeing as his King struggled in his grip, before giving a smirk. "Che. Fine, King. I'll let ya go for now, seems ya haven' remembered me pretty well."

"But remember," said Hichigo in a malevolent way as his left hand squeezed Ichigo's shihakushou fiercely, pulling it up so now he's in the same eye-level as his, gripping Ichigo's back tightly as he did so.

"There are **no** next time, brother!!" he gave a very creepy laugh as he pulled Ichigo closer to his body, white pale lips pressed against Ichigo's that made a sudden shock to the redhead as his eyes grew widened.

But he can't fight back, either he had no energy to do so, or just simply enjoyed the cruel kiss.

As their lips parted away, his vision started to getting blurry, his head got another struck of headache.

"Goodbye, Ichigo."

"for now…"

* * *

"AAAAAAAARRRRHHHHH!!!!!"

Seems that sudden shouting and tantrum-ing (he waggled his arms and moving his legs up and down) made him to cough a lot harder than he did when he was facing that damn white boy. Now his breath was getting shorter, wheezing hardly trying to find air to breathe, just like someone who was suffering asthma.

Then he noticed, he's no longer in the white boy's clutch (or actually, his grip) no longer **kissing** him (now the thought made him disgusted even more, what the hell, did he doesn't get enough love and turned into a weirdo autistic homosexual who kissed everyboy he seen or what. Even someone he knew that always had his parents gone outboard didn't turn into _something_ like that), and no longer in the twisted world of his mind, no longer trapped with his… brother…?

He shook his head, denying for what he had seen just now. It must be a trick from the white fiend, he said. He knew exactly, that he didn't have any brother, twins more ever, named… Hichigo…

Or did he?

Kurosaki Hichigo.

What a good play-twist on his name. Pffft. Imposter.

Now, he was sitting on a futon covered with light green blanket. It was placed in the center of an old-fashioned room with white sliding door (at the lower left corner of the door, there was some sakura tree patchwork) and a rice plant-colored tatami.

Not too long after that, the door slided to the side, revealing a raven-haired girl wearing a white one-piece dress, scowl clearly plastered on her small face (although soon that scowl changed to a brief shock), making Ichigo stunned a bit with her scary expression.

"Eeh… Rukia? Are you alright?" Ichigo asked innocently.

The said girl covered her mouth with both of her palms, purple eyes started to flickering to hold tears in her black eyelid. Sooner, she quickly ran to the still-sitting Ichigo and hugged him tightly, his head bumped against her chest (that made him blushed a little as he noticed, her breasts was not bad at all; it's all squeezy and soft), face all between both of her armpits.

"Oh my God!! I thought you were dead!! Thanks God, you're alive…!" she screamed happily although tears started to burst from her eyelid.

"Ru…Rukia…?" Ichigo started feeling uncomfortable as the female Shinigami tightened her hug. "My chest h-hurt…"

"Oooh…! Aaah! I-I'm sorry…! Kaie—err… Ichigo!" Rukia quickly swifted her body backward when she suddenly realized that it was Ichigo whom she hugged so dearly, not a certain someone who had been buried 6 feets under the ground.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, slightly confused to the raven-haired Shinigami's weird attitude who was blushing faintly although she tried to cover it as she just gave him her back. Ichigo thought to himself, she acts so different today, heck, maybe she ate the wrong drugs yesterday?

"Anyway, Rukia, where are we?" he asked, washing away the thought, to the still-blushing Shinigami who then gasped a little, finally woke up from her day-dreaming of a certain someone before finally returned to her usual wry and solemn voice.

"Oh, we're staying at Urahara's house. I brought you here after you passed out that time, since my _kidou_ spell was not enough to heal your severe wounds." Rukia pointed at the white bandage wrapped around Ichigo's naked upper body. "…and I was right to bring you here in the first place."

He didn't say anything in reply, but instead looked at his bandaged chest, touching it with his stiffened hand.

It didn't hurt even a bit.

He tilted his head and his eyes crossed to Rukia's purple eyes which were still staring at him.

"How many days I've slept?

"What?" the raven-haired girl tilted his head to the side, slightly confused. "You're not even have been here for a day, so if you're worried about your family, I've checked the house yesterday, but the house was all pitch black; seems your family hasn't come home yet. But I took my _gigai_ from Chappy, though." She said tentatively, pointing to the body she used right now. "Oh, and I've Kon using your body, so, no sweats if they ever come home."

'_Hm? That was strange.'_ The redhead thought to himself while he rubbed his chin. _'Usually that old man will never not come home or late either. Something really must had HAD happened.'_

Suddenly a name popped in his mind from the midst of nowhere.

'_Hichigo?'_

He rubbed his grassy hair, scowl formed in his tired face.

'_Shit, could you just stop thinking about that damn name, Ichigo!?'_

Ichigo then tilted to the window beside him in order to forget the name by looking at the sun's warming rays that radiated on his slightly red skin.

'_Not even a day, huh…'_ he thought to himself, remembering Rukia's word. So he'd slept here for one night only. It was strange that his wound could be healed so quickly for one day, no, night, only.

"Was Urahara-san the one who healed me?" Ichigo asked again, receiving a simple nod from his Shinigami partner.

'_Wow, seems getaboshi really have one amazing skills, huh?'_ Ichigo thought to himself.

He then leaned his head on the pillow again, resting his tired boy (Urahara maybe did had healed him, but he was still tired at the moment), giving a blank stare to the wooden ceiling while the room was covered with an awkward silence. Rukia only watched him with tired eyes, a glimpse of black color could be spotted at her lower eyelid; she's been tired as well, and it seems she had been watching over her wounded partner in the past night.

"Uum…, Ichigo?" asked Rukia to break the silence.

"Yeah?"

"I… Uum… I'm sorry, I was careless… In that fight…," her hands were fidgeting. "If it wasn't because of me, you should not have been like a detentioned-person in the bed… I—"

"It's alright, Rukia." Said Ichigo calmly with a small smile on his face, something that's unusual to be seen. "It's not your fault, anyway, and i—uuh… I was just thinking about something, can't focused on the fight."

Rukia smiled a little, somehow felt relieved that Ichigo had said that.

"Oh, and Rukia, can I ask you something?" Ichigo continued.

"Hm?"

"When you entered the room here, you seemed… Eer… Angry? Did something happen?"

Rukia eyes suddenly cracked wide open with a shock covering her entire small face. She gulped a little, thought not noticed by the redhead who asked her, seemed to be hesitant to tell him.

"I—"

Just before she wanted to answer, the door behind her slided open, showing the ragged mysterious peddler with his cheery attitude and all green outfits and of course, both eyes still covered with his green-stripped hat, followed by a stout and muscular man behind him.

"Oooh~!! Kurosaki-san! Seems you've awaken!! How's your beauty sleep tonight specially special service given by us for our loyal customer~?" Urahara chirped merrily, swinging the white paper fan he always brought back and forth.

"A-aah!! Urahara!" the raven-haired Shinigami shrieked a little because of the peddler sudden appearances, while Ichigo just gave him a large sweat drop.

"Well, how are you doing, Kurosaki-san?" he padded on the tatami, ignoring the midget shriek as he crouched down, checking the bandage which wrapped around the boy's chest.

"Huh? Well, I'm fine, I think." Ichigo slided his body, growing uncomfortable as the ex-captain wraggled around his body.

Urahara nodded a little, scrubbing his unshaved chin as he did so, and sooner rose up on his feet and grinned happily.

"Well! Seems Kurosaki-san indeed is getting better! Thanks to my special abilities," said Urahara, adjusting his hat cockily, "now you're free to go home!"

The redhead and the midget frowned a little, pissed by the owner of the weird shop's cocky manners.

"Fine, fine, it's not like I love to spend my time around this weird store anyway. Not to add I've got school toda—CRAAAP!! SCHOOL ALREADY STARTED!!"

As the moment the substitute Shinigami screamed (which made the tree Shingamis plugged their ears with both of their index-fingers), he quickly rushed, passing Rukia who's still stunned on the floor as well as the ex-captain and Tessai, ignoring his still-Shinigami-form. A shout from Jinta could be heard from outside of the room, cursing the orange-headed Shinigami as he ran. Maybe he had bumped onto him earlier.

"Wait, Ichigo—"

"Nee, Kuchiki-san," Urahara (seemed to) _shunpo_'d over, appearing in front of the adopted daughter of Kuchiki family, shrouding her way off although she did not see his movement even a bit. "Would you mind giving this to Ichigo-san," he handed Rukia a bottle full of purple pills, "and mind sparring some of your time to take Ichigo here for a daily medical check-up?"

"What? Daily medical check-up?" she raised her eyebrow. "Is something wrong with him?"

"I can't say there's something wrong with him, but…"

"Neither can I say he is all right."

Rukia's eyebrow twitched a little, giving a respond to Urahara's not-solid answer. "Is this had something to do with the one you said to me earlier?"

"Precisely." He replied solemnly, mouth covered with his white paper fan.

Rukia closed her eyes, thinking for some time before suddenly took the bottle from the man's hand fiercely. She then walked pass the two men as she tilted her head.

"Fine, but there's a 'but', Urahara. I will not do what you've said to me, unless you've given me a solid reason to do that."

"Although," she tilted his head again to look forward, "thinking about it, no matter what reason you have, I'll still not do that, no matter how you begged me to."

Urahara could only watched in silent as the female-Shinigami stepped outside the small building and quickly ran away, trying to catch up to her substitute who's already running ahead, sound of her feminine voice calling his name echoed in the air.

Mouth once again covered with his white paper fan, Urahara tilted his head to the side to look at the stout man who was standing beside him all the time.

"Tessai."

"Yes?"

A foxy smile cracked behind the white paper fan.

"Let us be prepared for the worst to come."

_-to be continued

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_

Aaah! Aah! Pl-please don't kill me for the wall of text above! *thrown by knife, scythe, zanpakutou, etc.* I dunno, this chapter was _supposed _to be very short (actually I planned this chapter to ended when Ichigo had arrived in the school and in Biology class), but then an idea popped up to just revealed Hichigo and Ichigo's little past xP

Well, that's why I'd like you to vote on my-newly made vote in my profile! Would you mind giving a vote or two, so the latter chapters could be made that's more suited to your like?

And while you at this, mind giving me some more reviews? I'd very appreciated it if you give me some :D Opinion, critics, things that you don't like, ooh! Almost forget! And opinion about should I change the fic to T-rated? Everything is welcomed :D (except for flame, of course. I **do** welcomed flame, but just give me a soft flame with a constructive advice, 'kay?) With this, I'm out for the day. See you in the next chapter!


	4. The Friend of 'Twins'

I know the update is a bit late, but it is the usual time for me (even faster) to update a story (I have said in the second chapter, haven't I? I updated a story a chapter a month). Not to add that Christmas and New Year is coming so I got about 2 weeks holiday with haven been filled with schedule. So, sowie for the long update! Oh, and was it too late for a students in Ichigo's age learning albino? Since I already learned it in my class and I'm younger than Ichigo :P Oh, yes, and the latest review from **Hollow Ichigo-Ichigo** reminds me, there'll be no lemon stuff, folks! Not even lime will be (if there're i would've put it in T section from the start). So i'll crush your dream first for that kind of thingy, okay? :9 *get stabbed* Don't worry, there are still incest if you want it so badly xD

Summary: He hope that nothing will happen today, but... why is she getting fuming mad all so sudden? How did she know about him? Why did she cry?

Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns Bleach. I own this story. Hichigo (sadly) still being owned by Tite Kubo.

Btw, I don't mean to offend anyone who made the 'Hichigo' name. Thankfully 'Hichigo' is pretty fit for something I have prepared for the latter chappie~

* * *

Okay, today was a complete shit.

Seriously, he was trapped, paralyzed moreover, in **his own **mind with the capturer self-claimed himself as **his** long-lost brother namely Kurosaki Hichigo who **kissed** him for hell's sake. Not to add he got his name play-twisted with a so-unneeded 'H' in front'. What's that 'H' stands for anyway; Hollow? Someone needs to be more creative if he really wanted to play-twisted his name, or even, to made **him** believe that he was his twin with _that_ name.

And then, woke up in the middle of nowhere (actually he woke up in Urahara's house) and met an ate-wrong-drugs Rukia who hugged him abruptly, and seemed to mistaken him from someone? Was being an orange-head still can made someone mistaken you for others? Nevertheless, he was shocked anyway; that girl _did_ have breasts.

And right now, he was stuck in the middle of the class, watching the full-with-illegible sentences white board written by the old and male Biology teacher which he despised for his slow movement and incomprehensible voice. He knew that it was because of aging, but still… he should retire now, really. It's for his own sake, too.

He, too, was being glared at by the entire students in the class, thanks to damn Kon being so horny with the girls around; peeping the woman toilet is still acceptable, but stealing their underwears in P.E. class was, by moral value goes in high school, very **not **acceptable.

Well, thanks to Orihime and Tatsuki, and to the boys, Mizuiro, Keigo, Chad, and surprisingly, Ishida, too, assured the teachers that it was not Ichigo who was the Peeping Tom, and told them that the peeper was, by any chance, someone who happened to look-like him.

And… Thanks for being an orange-head, once again, it was of course very _not_ believable, so Rukia last-resorted for the using of Soul Society weird mind-changer item, resulting of ALL students in the school thus knowing, albeit false, that Kurosaki Ichigo was a pervert playboy who dated with 5 girls a time (first would be Orihime, second was Tatsuki, and then Rukia –again-, Chizuru whose name came out of nowhere, and lastly Rangiku-san –seriously, her, too, came out of nowhere and actually Mizuiro would be more fitting for her rather than Ichigo.)

So, now he was glared because of being a playboy.

Well, not that he cared anyway (or else he would've dyed his hair from long time ago), since it was only a rumor which will fade as time goes by.

But, it's still sucks since he still trapped in this boring class, for the rest of the day.

Ichigo sighed a little before looking down at the Biology book in front of him, flipping its page to the next chapter as he paid no interest to the subject given in front by the old teacher.

He just flipped the pages in bore when suddenly his eyes caught something interesting.

His hand halts from flipping to the next pages when he saw a picture in the book which was showing a girl with a pure white hair and pure white skin.

Just like 'his'.

Ichigo then narrowed his eyes to the title below the picture, and it said 'albino'.

'_One's lack of melanin pigments in either eyes, skin, or hair which resulting of unusual eye, skin or hair color of white,'_ the substitute Shinigami read the very first paragraph, descripting the albinism.

'_So, he was infected with this so-called albino?' _the redhead thought to himself while he rested his chin onto the plain colored desk below.

'_Wait._' He quickly brought back to his usual seat position and looked at his book again, arms crossed._ 'The book says that it affects either eye, skin, or hair, which means it's usually will only affect one of those, but his was… everything was white… Well, 'cept for his eyes though. Man, that's one creepy kind of sclera he got there.'_

He sighed again, placing both hands clasped together behind his head and stretched it, _'Must be hard for him when he was still living.'_

At first he didn't notice it, going back to reading the book to before suddenly both eyes cracked wide open when he noticed something odd.

'_What the—when he was still living!? Wha-what was I thinking before!?'_

How can he just think so easily like it came out from the back of his mind that _he_ was once live?

He was silence for a moment, before letting out a weary sigh from his dry mouth (the battle yesterday exhausted him, and he hadn't got any water to drink either since that night. Damn Kon for not bringing his water bottle to school.)

'_Everything is all crazy, just because of that boy…,'_

The redhead rubbed his always-spiky hair although it should have been messed up when he was sleeping that morning. He's already stressed enough for the past 2 days with the current hectic condition. He just could only hope for there would be nothing more problems to come in the future.

Too bad he was wrong when a certain black-haired girl kept looking at him all the time that day.

* * *

"IIICHIIIII…

GOOOOOO!!!!"

"Good afternoon, Keigo." Ichigo said nonchalantly as he raised his hand and clenched it into a fist, successfully hitting the flying always-overly-energetic brunette on the face, making the poor boy screamed and cried in pain, pinching his nose to stop the bleeding inside.

Oh, how Ichigo felt so nostalgic between his autistic friend and his mad father. Those 2 words didn't differ so much, did they?

While he just saw the brunette kept wriggling on the floor like a dying fish, the other friend of his, Mizuiro the petite boy reached him, also not caring about what happened to the brunette as he asked Ichigo, "Hey, Ichigo, mind if you go to Keigo's house? He has a new fighting game I wanted to try, and I don't want him to win over me all the time." Mizuiro gave a nervous laugh knowing that his friend was an expert on this thing.

The redhead was mute for mere seconds, giving a blank stare to the boy although not recognized by him before finally his mouth cracked to a _wide_ grin.

"Fine, I don't have anything to do at home, anyway."

"Waaah. That's good! Chad doesn't want to come, so I though you wouldn't either. But I'm glad I asked!"

As the boys continued their chitter-chattering before finally took their schoolbag, a certain orange-haired girl stared at them unknown to anyone except for her girl friend that stood beside her. Her hand reached to the black haired girl's skirt, gripping it tightly as she did so.

"Tatsuki-chan…," Orihime stopped her voice when he saw the trio left the nearly empty class, a smile still hanging on Ichigo's lip when they left. "What happens to Kurosaki-kun?"

Tatsuki didn't say anything, although her eyebrow wrinkled, making a frown, and how her face was showing a concerned look, before she took a step ahead.

"Orihime, you stay here, okay? I promise I'll get back after I had talked to Ichigo." The girl gave Orihime a brief reply and quickly rushed forward outside the class, leaving the orange-haired alone who was slightly shocked by this.

"Tatsuki-chan!!" Orihime rose up on his feet, her palms banged onto the wooden desk below because of the sudden shock of her friend's strange demeanor. "Tatsuki-chan! Tatsuki-chan! Wh-what happened!? Why don't you just tell me--,"

The girl quickly followed the other who had been running ahead of her about meters away, after receiving no reply from Tatsuki. A confused look still plastered on her face and though she knew so well she was no match in terms of sprint to the black-haired runner up, she tried to follow her although Tatsuki already was far away. Now the class was empty, except for one boy and one girl who were still sitting idly in silence, watching the whole scenes while didn't make any comments about it.

Rukia sighed a little before leaving her seat and put her small blue bag with a pink bunny pin strapped on it on the desk, zipping it open before she took a white hand phone out of the bag. The raven haired Shinigami then pushed the down button on the key pad, keeping her stances as she searched for Urahara's name on the contact list, before she suddenly gasped a little in shock when a hand touched her tiny shoulder.

She quickly tilted her head, only to found another black-haired boy standing behind her. It was the Quincy, Ishida Uryuu.

"Kuchiki-san, I want to ask you about something." He adjusted his glass with his index finger, making the shaft of light reflected the white glasses, hiding his vivid blue eyes in a void of light.

Rukia didn't like the looks of it ever so slightly.

"What is it?" though the voice of said girl remain unchanged.

"It's about… Kurosaki, concerning his, well…, strange reiatsu."

* * *

Outside of the school building, the trio was heading to exit the rusty main gate of Karakura High. The school was already empty although voice of music band practicing inside the school still could be heard even outside the building.

The three of them were chatting idly, sometimes followed by a giggling fit of the three boys. They're all smiling and laughing, a happy normal teenagers like one would find in any other schools or even towns.

But were they? More accurately, _was_ he? Yes, maybe his friends didn't find anything strange about him, who was laughing, grinning, smiling all the way in their walk to the outside. Well, it's not like he himself realized that there was something different in him.

Their movement was turned into a halt when they heard a faint voice –a feminine one- calling out the redhead's name.

The three boys tilted their head, finding a running Tatsuki with sweat, although it's hard to seen, pouring down in all her face.

"Ichigo… Ichigo…!!" her voice was dry when she called his name.

"Tatsuki?" the redhead gave a confused look when the black-haired girl stopped in front of him, taking some time to regained her breath as she inhaled and exhaled hastily.

"What happe—waah!!"

The substitute Shinigami let out a small shriek when Tatsuki squeezed her wrist and dragged him to a nearby tree, standing on the shade of brown leaves as it was autumn that time. The rest of the boys still standing still on the same spot as quandary enveloped them. But they knew exactly –looking at Tatsuki's satanic face- it was something that they both should not heard.

The girl then grasped the still-confused redhead's collar with her right hand, tugging him fiercely onto the wood's branch which made Ichigo shrieked a little with the sudden tug. The force shook the old tree slightly so some of the brown leaves fell onto the ground beneath, enveloping the teenagers with rain of leaves.

"Tatsuki! W…hat are you…, d-oing!?" he said it not clearly as her grip nearly choking him.

"Why…," said Tatsuki faintly. "Why _you_ didn't tell me!?"

"Wha… Tell you what!?" he gave another glare although her grip still making him hard to breath. Somewhere in his mind, he knew that Tatsuki wasn't pointing to his occupation as a Shinigami or she will not ganking on him like this (she would ask Orihime instead). But somewhere, somewhere deeper than the former's place in mind, he knew it was more important than that.

"Your brother's death!! Hichigo!"

His futile struggling stop in motion, like a lightning bolt streaked him in place, chocolate eyes widened in fear after he heard _that name._

Why did Tatsuki, of all people, know that name?

"You're always throwing a fit around the time of your mother's death…; like how you behaved in school just now! Smiling and grinning like a crazed man! And today is nowhere around the time of your mother's death!"

"What…,"

"Don't 'what' me, silly!!" she screamed again, but not in rage, instead more in pity, or… sadness?

Why did he see a droplet of tears strolled down on her cheek?

"Tell me…, Ichigo…," she gave another nearly inaudible voice as her body slid down, releasing her grip from the redhead's collar, onto the ground. "Hichigo…, is he really dead…?"

'_Dead…?'_, he thought to himself, still can't believe about what he heard just now.

In the back of his mind, Ichigo could felt as someone was smiling.

_-to be continued

* * *

_

Hooray! Chapter 4 completed! Why did Tatsuki know about Hichigo? Why did she cry in the end? How will Ichigo deal with the upcoming madness? Reviews? Critics? Suggestions? Love/hate it? Oh, and was the albino description correct? I used my book and my limited knowledge of it, so eeh... That's what my teacher told me anyway.


	5. The Past of 'Twins'

School's being sucked for some time now, as they hold this so-called try out for national exam, which made, guess what, being detentioned from computer and thus internet along with it. So yeah, latter chapter would be pretty late since i need to study hard from now. And if i already passed the test, i'll try to write things fast (If i'm not busy watching Bleach at my local television which is airing Bleach Arrancar Arc at the moment. Woot! I can't wait to see Grimmy!). That's why, this chapter is pretty long in regards of my apologize (actually i just went too overboard with it. I don't even know where to cut it. But, looking at the pool in my profile... Guess you wouldn't mind, right? It's 8284 words! I break my past record! *get kicked*), so please enjoy!

Disclaimer: Bleach is owned by Kubo Tite. I own nothing of it except for the comic itself

* * *

She was my friend.

She who came to me during my first session in the dojo; greeting me and grinned happily, saying she'd want to have a match with me.

Of course, i accept it outright at the moment, and i was beaten pretty bad that time, not that it will change this time, though, but... I was shy to admit it, but i was crying after that practice match.

I ran to the backside of the building, hiding beside a tree within a shadow. I just want to be there, alone, just waiting until my mother come. Then, she came. She walked towards my hiding spot and called my name so i tilted my head, and i got a punch right on the jaw straightly.

I still remember what she said after that, _"Boy doesn't cry!"_

It's just a far-off memory right now, but, i know she really meant her word that time.

Because of her words, i started to stop crying every time i lose a match, which getting less frequent each time i went to the dojo (although i still can't beat her). I started to be braver and more... accepting to my loss. Well, i wonder what would Rukia say if i say that to her. It's very unlike me for the time being. Maybe she would laugh, no, she _will_ laugh. And maybe i'll laugh, too.

I'll laugh at myself.

Laugh at me for how weak i was.

I can't protect my mom that day. I can't beat the 'murderer' who killed my mom that day. And i can't protect 'him' either.

Peoples started to say i changed since my mom's death. My father, my sisters, even Tatsuki did.

But, i really went into a drastic change about 4 years ago. My hard-headed personality... My scowl... My not-caring attitude... Every little things that made by today.

It's after i lost 'him'.

Yes, i know he lived once. I know he was there. I know he always stood beside me. I know, i knew him. I remember about him. About another part of my life that i dearly cared for.

About my brother that i can't protect that day.

But then, what caused my denial of his existence this time if i once cared him so dearly? Is it the fact that i don't want to admit that i can't protect him...

...or the fact that i don't want to admit that it was i who caused his death...?

* * *

"Ichigo!!" the black-haired girl shook the still petrified redhead, demanding for an answer from her last question. The substitute's Shinigami still standing in front of her with a glazy chocolate eyes, irritating the girl even more.

"Ichigo, stop being so hard!!" Tatsuki screamed louder while Ichigo only replied the warn with a blank stare. The black-haired girl gritted her teeth in annoyance, finally rising her fist in order to punch him.

"If you really wanted to shut your mouth so badly...," she gave a death glare to the boy, which made no effect what-so-ever. She had reached her temper limit, ready to give a bone-shattering punch right on the face of the boy. "I'll force you to open your mouth!!"

Just before the runner up of the karate tournament could land her fist, her clenched hand was stopped by a single mere palm of the redhead with ease, making her black eyes widened in shock.

"Ichi-...?" she stated her shock in a disbelieving tone on her wavering voice. "Since when did you could--"

"Shut up." a cold voice suddenly cut her speech.

She raised her eyebrow in confusion as she heard that voice while both of them made no move on their position; the black-haired's fist still glued onto the palm of the redhead, while the redhead's face still remain unseen for his face was looking downward on the earth, not to add his long orange bangs which helped him hidden the rest of his face. She was confused at this; Ichigo, by all means, is not usually the... calm... type like _this_. Okay, he was calmer (or more exact, happier or try-to-be-happier) when his mother's death's time was near -in this case, Tatsuki believed to be the cause, his brother's death-, but it's not this type of... calm... His voice this time was sounded more... menacing...

"Ichigo?" she asked in a low tone to assured herself that he was alrigh. "Uuuhm, i'm sorry about earlier if i was-,"

"Shut up."

Her eyes widened once more in reach to what the redhead said before to her. This is clearly not right. For hovewer Ichigo's rudeness may be, he wouldn't dare this much to retort in such a way. He was indeed rude, but he's not an asshole like _this_. She can't stand this anymore, for being a high-tempered person she was. A blood vein then started to spam on her forehead, and then she retorted, "Ichigo, stop being such a jerk and tell me--,"

"Boy, ya haven't learn t' learn the word 'shut up' fer even a bit, have ya, Tatsuki?"

As soon as he finished his talking which made the girl winced in fear of the unknown distorted voice which was different from Ichigo's voice just now, he quickly looked ahead, straight unto the girl's suprised black eyes, revealing maniacal wide grin plastered on his very face which made the girl shocked even more. The grinning man raised his hand in attempt to land a hit on the scared-girl's face who can't even moved a finger a bit.

"Ichi--,"

* * *

The black-haired Quincy quickly turned his head to look at the window of the classroom. His spectacles shone for a moment as the light of the bright sun out there was reflected by the glassess. He adjusted his glassess again, before turning his head to the usual position only to saw a perplexed look of Kuchiki Rukia who stood in front of him.

"What happen?" she asked.

"Hollow," the Quincy stated simply, making the Kuchiki slightly shocked before preparing her battle stance, albeit in gigai form. "But, it soon dissapearred after i sensed it."

She raised her eyebrown concerning what he said. Rukia was still confused by his statement. She knew so well by what Urahara had told her that the Quincies had a pretty good skill of sensing Hollows, far above the average of most Shinigami. So, while she couldn't sensed the Hollow Ishida talked about earlier, she in no doubt believe in him. But, for a Hollow to just appeared for a second and just went back to hide in Hueco Mundo again? That's just strange. Or had the Hollow had finished its dinner in just split seconds interval and decided to went back after eating its victim? It, too, was impossible. No Hollows know _shunpo _or even _shunko_.

The Quincy looked at the still-thinking Shinighami, letting out a smirk as he knew so well what the girl was thinking since he was thinking about the same thing either. He decided to give another hint while he prodded his spectacles once more.

"Another fun fact for you, Kuchiki-san: the Hollow i sensed earlier lay just outside the building we currently in."

Now it's much more unbelieveable. The Hollow was roaming outside the school without she even noticed its presences? Was she really lacking in the sense department for not noticing a single Hollow which stood right before her eyes? Even if the Hollow _did _only appear for a second, she would sensed it right away since it's just a meter away.

Before she could as another question, the Quincy narrowed his eyes and looked at his blue bag made by denim before took it and said, "I must take my leave now, Kuchiki-san. I hope you don't mind."

"Ah? O-oh. N-not at all!" she stuttered a bit at the sudden excuse given by the Quincy.

Ishida walked passed the raven-haired Shinigami with his bag in his clutches. He pushed the sliding door and, before he could walk off from the classroom, the midget rang out a voice behind him.

"Ishida," she stated, stopping the movement of the bespectacled boy who then tilted his head around. "About our talk earlier...,"

"I think there's no need to talk more about that anymore," he adjusted his glassess once more wiht his left index finger. "I simply just stated my opinion about Kurosaki's strange reiatsu, maybe he was just being tired from the endless hunting of Hollows. It's no less than a 'just-not-proved-opinion'._ Maybe_ you should give him a holiday, Kuchiki-san."

And so he took his leave, leaving the raven-haired Shinigami alone while she was thinking maybe it's a good idea to give Ichigo a break for some time and let herself do the purification instead.

Nevertheless, she couldn't help but being worried of Ichigo's condition. Ishida's 'opinion' just now worsened her fear. The question was, will she later ever last-resorted to what Urahara told her this morning?

She sighed, trying to let the cloud of confusion leave her minds and tilted her head upwards, looking at the white ceiling as if praying.

If there's ever a god above the god of death, she prayed, she really hope to this god for not let fate being so cruel to her.

* * *

Ishida walked in a steady pace along at the vacant corridor of the school. He let no words out from his mouth. His mind was already fully occupied by the thought of the strange Hollow he sensed earlier.

That Hollow... Was that really a Hollow at all? During his life as a Quincy and receiving training and knowledge from his sensei, he had not heard about a Hollow quickly dissapeared from the real world for a second _except_ for a Quincy already finished it off just like what he did before during his fight with Kurosaki, which was very most unlikely as he was the only remainin Quincy living in the world.

Well, there's one Quincy left other than him, but he who didn't even take interest of Quincy, much to despised his own race, wouldn't even lay a hand over life and death and Hollow and Shinigami problems.

The more important question was, the Hollow's reiatsu. He chose not to let Kuchiki know about this as he guessed it would made condition worse, even it was just a wild guess during his sensing over one second.

It's the Hollow's reiatsu, about how he sensed it being so familiar to Kurosaki Ichigo's yet in the same time being so different from his.

* * *

"Kurosaki-kun!!

A faint high-pitched voice stopped him from hitting the scared girl's face. His raised hand's wrist which he tried to use to hit Tatsuki before was being held by a small hand, a small, trembing hand.

He turned his head, only to found droplets of tears seeping out from Inoue Orihime's brown eyes. Her face was scared, too, much like Tatsuki's.

"Kuro...saki-kun...," her voice was weary and dry. "Don't hurt... Tatsuki-chan...,"

He finally regained his senses as a hint of guilt reigned over his face. What had he done just now? Was he nearly hit his friend? His childhood friend who cared for him yet he rejected her kindness by _hitting_ her?

He closed his eyes in both scared and anger over himself, abruptly releasing Orihime's grasp from his wrist by force.

"Just... don't touch me!!"

Slapping the small hand around his wrist with his other one, he quickly ran off from the school yard, not bother with the constant voices of both boys (who expectedly, peeking the entire scenes) who kept calling his name as he run. The brunette now was trying to console the still terrified black-haired, hence her trembling now stopped.

"Tatsuki-chan...," she let out a concerned tone in her wavering voice. "Are you alright?"

The black-haired girl reply the brunette's question with silent, unable to speak. Then, she let out a deep exhale, lettting some air escaped her lungs to calm herself down, before nodding slightly after she inhaled back. "I'm alright, Hime. Thanks...,"

The brunette let out another sigh of relief before helping her to stand up.

Although she sounded sincere just now, she can't help but to remember Ichigo's face she saw before.

She did feel terrified by his malevolent look just now, but what made her more terrified was... the amount sense of dejavu she felt.

She had seen that eyes somewhere... A glimmering golden eyes that was so malevolent in a way...

She knew it was not Ichigo's

It was his.

* * *

"Brother!" his blonde sister rang out a voice as soon as the redhead took a step inside the clinic. "Where were you yesterday? Why didn't you go to the station with us?"

He didn't say anything. Instead he just walked pass the dumbfounded blonde. Yuzu frowned a bit in confusion and slight worry; his brother will at least retorted or just shrugged. Then she turned her head and at her only brother who had reached the edge of the stair.

"Brother?" she asked in a worried tone. "Are you sick? Do you want to eat something? Sweets? Chips? And, u-uh, i have baked some cupcakes! Do you want some?"

There was a long awkward silence between the siblings, before the oldest one shook his head and took another step on the stair.

"...nothing. I-i want to sleep right now. Sorry, Yuzu...," the older one replied in apologetic tone without turning his head to look at his siter's perplexed face. Then, he add, "Just... don't bother me..."

And so, he left his younger sister, leaving Yuzu's confusion hanging in the air, while her twin, the tomboyish one, only looking at them with a worried face.

"Ichi-nii...,"

* * *

"Kurosaki-kun had had a brother before!?"

"Twin brother, more exactly."

Both of the teenagers was sitting on a bench in a park in Karakura Town. Their hands were holding a cup of ice-cream which the bought earlier to calm Tatsuki down, treated specially by Orihime. The brunette appeared to be shocked by what her friend had told her just now, while Tatsuki appeared to have calmed down and was slurping her mint-flavoured ice cream.

"Why did i haven't heard of him for once? I thought Kurosaki-kun only have two sisters and a father and a... deceased mother?" she asked curiously.

The black-haired took a deep breath and sighed instantly. "That's what i don't understand, Orihime." he replied. "But i could say with no doubt that he, once, _had _a brother."

"What do you mean, Tatsuki-chan?" her eyebrow raised slightly in react of the black-haired's answer, before widening her eyes, sorrowful expression reigned over her face as she began to grasp the meaning of her hesitant statement, and she guessed, "...is he dead?"

She didn't answer. She chose not to see the inquiring stare of her brunette friend, averting her weary gaze to her brown shoes-covered feet. Inside her heart, she felt guilty, _very_ guilty. For she had told someone -even if it was Orihime- a pretty sensitive matter, for both herself and her childhood 'friends'.

Not too long after, Tatsuki heard a soft sound of _'crack!'_ somewhere, but couldn't made it to know the origin of the 'crack' sound. She then closed her eyes, felt that it was just her imagination before shaking her head slightly in response of Orihime's question, retrieveing a bright smile in Orihime's facial expression.

"So he's not, right? Maybe they just live in a separate house, then! We could give a visit to Kurosaki-kun's brother's house and then we'll--,"

"No, Hime." she abruptly cut her optimistic speech, tilting her once down-casted gaze to Orihime's stare. "I don't know...,"

Orihime's lips parted in confusion of this.

"I don't know. I don't know… I don't know if he's dead or not… I don't even know if he _did _live or not…," her voice sounded wavered.

"Wh-why is that?"

"It's because no one seems to notice his existence!!" she screamed in either frustration or indignant, eyes closed while her hands clutched her head, spilling the ice cream onto the ground.

"No one, not even Ichigo, ever talk about him anymore!! Since the last day I met him, it's just like he's… gone… Not just gone, it's like he's never live from the beginning! Not a remnants of his old life were there; his name's gone from the school student list; Ichigo treated like the only son in his family; all of his things gone…,"

She opened her eyes again and spoke a softly, "I'm scared, Orihime…," and rubbing her weary eyes. "Then, all of the times I spent with him are just a waste."

"Eh?" Orihime raised her eyebrow. "I thought you didn't like Kurosaki-kun's brother?"

She nodded and reclined on the bench, trying to have a more comfortable position. And then she replied, "Yeah, I didn't like him. But not in terms or hate or that kind of things, though…," while her eyes narrowed down onto the hard ground, slightly reluctant to tell things more. "But I just need to know…,"

"Could you give me a more detailed-explanation?" a foreign yet familiar voice rang out behind the girls, making both of them turned their heads instantly. Behind their back, there was Kuchiki Rukia, standing with a solemn expression plastered clearly on her face, and a slight frown that may go unnoticed on her eyebrow

"Sorry for eavesdropping," she said aplogetically. "I'm… slightly worried about I-Kurosaki-kun's condition…,"

The brunette and the other black-haired stared the midget nonchalantly, unable to react or say anything, making the Shinigami acting a bit nervous, thus being reluctant to continue her inquiry.

"Mmmh… I-I'm just passing a-and overheard your conversation… So, I-I thought I'd stop a-and…," she stuttered a bit, trying to find a good excuse.

At the moment, Tatsuki was pondering about Rukia. She hadn't known her very well, hence the fact she was a new student (although she's not really 'new' again that time). So was it really okay to just spit everything out about some personal matter of her friends? But from what she heard and _saw_ herself, she knew that at least she's in a good term with Ichigo for she always hanging around with him (which was more 'bossing' around with Ichigo. Specially to train him, which the girl didn't know), and, plus, she enjoyed her companion, too. And at the least she knew something and that something was that this girl was a good one. In the end, she drew a conclusion that it was all right to her join into the conversation.

"I know, Kuchiki," she gave a short smile which relieved the midget from her nervousness. "But, I still… don't understand about what you meant by… 'detailed explanation'…,"

"Just tell me about him," she answered before walking towards them and took a step beside the wooden bench which the girls were currently sitting on. "Anything could do."

She sighed in response of her answer. "Fine. But I can't assure you it would satisfied you."

The midget gave a warm smile as a way to say her thanks. Both of the girls slid their body a little on the bench to give the newcomer some space to sit; which she did a moment later. Tatsuki then moved her body slightly forward, giving a solemn expression and put her elbows on her lap, resting her chin on her tied hands as she began to open your mouth.

"I first met Hichigo in the dojo, just like how I met with Ichigo, although his was… in a different circumstances…,"

_It was a day like any other day; the sun was scorching hot and I was training in the dojo like I always did any other time._

_What made it differs from any other day was, the fact that he hadn't shown up yet and was late. Yes, I was talking about Kurosaki Ichigo, the idiot who once train so hard resulting of all his limbs went gone numb the next day._

_As far as I know, he wouldn't come late in any karate session we'd ever taken. That boy always went wild at school, blabbering about how he'll go much stronger each day and _hope_, someday will be able to beat me, which is unlikely. Hence he usually always goes to the dojo earlier than anyone and starts beating the dummy alone in the practice hall, which he didn't that time._

_As the time passed and I started to wonder about him, and, ooh, speak of the devil, he came right into the building with a large grin plastered on his enthusiastic face._

_I scowled at this; his happy-go-lucky grin always annoyed me. And how he padded as happily as ever towards me and said, "Watch it, Tatsuki! I swear I'll beat you today!!", just annoy the hell out of me. So conceited, really._

_I sighed and replied, "It's impossible, Ichigo." And smirked. "You probably will come running to your mom and crying again."_

_"I-I won't cry!!"_

_"You just admitted you _will_ lose today yourself, Ichi."_

_"…you jerk…,"_

_I winced at this, never even heard once that Ichigo was capable of saying such thing. But I let got of the thought already, thinking that he's aging anyway, and smirked again, "Haa! Where did you heard that word, Ichi? You are finally maturing, huh? Thought you'll remain a cry-baby brat forever."_

_"Uugh!! But you too are still a brat, Tatsuki!!" He hissed at this and I just laughed. Then we heard our trainer shouted, "Arisawa! Kurosaki!", and gestured in way to command both of us to come to him._

_Then he told us we're gonna have a practice match for the upcoming districts tournament. I, of course, was paired with Ichigo for our sparring just like any other time. But then again, knowing how Ichigo was, of course he'll took the match seriously just like his life depends on it; way _too _serious._

_Time passed as we watched he training matches done by our senpai, and then, it was ours. So we prepared our positions, and I couldn't help but twitched my eyebrow when I looked at his overly enthusiastic manners._

_"Oi, Ichigo," I said a little louder than usual since there were many loud buzzing of peoples' talking in the dojo. "Did you eat the wrong drugs yesterday? You look waaaay too happy than usual._

_"Am I?" he just smiled gleefully. "I just wanted to prepare for my winning stances for later."_

_Somehow I could felt my blood vein popped on my head in react of his cocky reply. "…after you walk through my dead body, dummy." _

_I sighed again after seeing his hiss in react of my words, he's indeed optimistic, _

_He just closed his eyes and smiled again innocently. "I promise Hichi I'd win today, Tatsuki."_

_"Who?"_

_"My nii-chan."_

_As soon as he finished that word, leaving me dumbfounded with the strange fact, I heard our trainer yelled and we quickly dashed towards each other, trying to ignore the oddity of his words._

_As soon as we faced each other, I quickly gave a first punch which aimed on his right cheek, and he, of course, dodged it easily by moving his body to the left. Ichigo then gave me a smooth thrust with his left hand onto my left rib as a counter-attack, and I managed to dodged it by ducking._

_That was close, and he usually went off guard in the interval between attacking and defending, so tried to find a weak spot and found out that his feet were defenseless. I quickly slid my right foot from right to left, and, surprised me too much; he jumped a little as my foot moved smoothly on the wooden floor, beneath his flying feet._

_But what surprised me more, and made me laugh was when he landed his feet on the floor, things weren't going smoothly, and guess what, he slipped on the floor! I still remember the sound of dull _'thud!'_ he made as his butt collided with the floor. Of course, the whole dojo burst into laughter looking at the funny spectacle._

_"Kurosaki! Watch your feet!" our trainer shouted although he clearly tried to hide a smile on his face._

_I took the vacant time for standing up and brushed my white outfit from dust, and prepared my horses again and said triumphantly, "1-0 for me, Ichigo. Time to look at your crying face again."_

_"There aren't any scores in karate!" he retorted although I noticed a small color of pink on his cheek, before he rose up on his feet again and prepared his horses. "But I'll win for sure this time!"_

_He dashed again, trying to nudged me on my stomach to earn an easy ippon. Things were somehow heated up and I, then again, was well absorbed into the fight, enjoying every little seconds of it as peoples in the dojo start to cheer both of us._

_He went into somewhat a bit aggressive than usual for wanting to end the match quickly as both of us started to breath heavier than usual. He launched an up coved kick right onto my face, which scraped my right temple and I closed my right eyes in attempt of shock or just instinct in attempt to lower the pain if it would ever hit my eye. So, unintentionally, I forced my other eyes to look at another weak spot._

_That was the first time I saw him._

_At the very corner of the room, my eyes caught something. A boy. A boy I hadn't seen before, and was unfamiliar in my eyes then. So automatically my focus was all placed unto that boy, leaving my guard off._

_I can't made it clearly since he was well hidden by the peoples there, but what distracted me; what making him stand-out than the mass of peoples there was his appearance. He was all white. His hair was white. His skin was white. Everything just plain white, except for something… something I couldn't make it that time. That 'something' was flickering in the middle of his face, one looked like a yellow flame._

_"Hai!!"_

_That little scream broke my concentration entirely. I tried looking forward to my adversary in front to land a counter-attack or at the least to defend the upcoming attack, but, to no avail, I couldn't evaded the straight punch he launched onto my stomach, so I fell onto the wooden floor and felt my body slid a few meters back._

_"Ippon!" I heard our trainer yelled and I saw peoples started to gather around me._

_"Arisawa!" my trainer quickly broke the commotion around and shook my shoulder. Actually, the shake was hurter than the punch, though. My trainer's grip was painful… But, anyway, the peoples around me processed it into their brain that I fell and slid back because of the force of Ichigo's punch, which was wrong. The floor was slippery; they just didn't notice it and probably was blinded by the truth that Ichigo could win over me._

_"Are you okay?" my trainer asked me after I'd regained my balance, and I nodded._

_He let out a breath of relief and clasped his hand together. "'Kay, everyone! Today session's over! Come back tomorrow for practice for the upcoming tournament! Eat nutritious foods and don't forget to sleep well each night! Vitality is essential!"_

_I then stood on my feet, rubbing my stomach and cringed a little. Man, that was more painful than I'd expected. It'd left some bruises, I thought._

_"Tatsuki!" a familiar voice called to me. "I-I'm really sorry! I never thought i-it would end like this…,"_

_"Nah," I waved my hand at him in order to say 'don't-get-overreact-to-some-small-bruises-like-this-since-you-got-it-everyday-from-my-punches-more-than-i-am'. "It's just small scrape anyway, don't get all worried just because of this."_

_He grinned innocently at my response, and said, "Anyway, Tatsuki, I won, huh?"_

_And I couldn't help but smiled, too. At least he got his first victory on me. "Heh, yeah. If I just didn't get distracted by something-," wait, something? I thought for a moment before a bulb of light clicked above my head. Yeah! That somethi—no, someone! That someone who just looked like Ichigo!_

_"Aah, yeah! Ichigo-,"_

_Before I get to finish my sentences, I already saw him running towards the opened door of dojo, hugging a female form that was taller than him; a wavery chocolate hair tied into a ponytail, slim and slender figures, a lively color of skin of her small legs, and a calming face of her, smile always hanging on the edge of her attractive lips._

_Then I noticed the being I just saw earlier._

_The very same boy, clutching onto his mom's red dress while his golden eyes eyed my suspiciously, that menacing eyes boring into my very soul._

_I started to sweat when her mother noticed my presences and walked towards me along with the two clutching boys, deeper onto the center of the building and greeted my warmly. "Ooh, Tatsuki-chan. How are you doing?"_

_"E-eh? Mmmm, I'm fine!" I bowed out of nowhere and she just nodded, running a warm hand to my hair and rubbed it gently_

_"Did Ichigo hurt you, Tatsuki-chan?" she asked again and I only replied with a shy smile. I heard she said, "My, my, seems Ichigo was not being nice with you today, don't you agree, Tatsuki-chan? He was boasting about his victory a moment ago." This earned a protest from the redhead while she just chuckled._

_"Wha-!? B-but, this's just a match! I didn't 'hurt' her!"_

_"But you practically did," I gave a sly smirk to tease him and pointed my finger to my stomach. And now his eyes started to get teary, _again._ God, not again… He loses? He cried. He wins? He cried too!_

_"Waaaaaaaaaaah!!! Mommy…! I didn't do anything bad, I swear!!" he buried his face onto her stomach in attempt to earn an apologize from his mother. I laughed a little, but tried to hide it with my hand._

_But, somehow, suddenly I felt the back of my neck prickled. I gasped a little and tilted my head in search of the origins of that… 'that'… I don't know, someone seemed to… glared at me at the moment and that… glare, I think, made me unnerved. Like someone had had an intent to kill me… But who could be?_

_"Nee, Tatsuki?"_

_"Wha—huh?" I turned my head again and saw Ichigo already standing in front of me, an annoying smile already crept back onto his face again. Heck, another second he was crying out loud, another time he was grinning like a mad-man_

_"Here!" he pulled the same white boy I saw before who stood behind him earlier. "This is my brother!" he added again. Now I had a better looks of him. He just… exactly the same with Ichigo… Same face… Same posture… Same style of hair… Just all of his were white, pale white, and the expression on his face was blank, on the contrary of his brother enthusiastic one._

_"Sorry, I've never introduced you before since he always at home. He's my twin." Ichigo added once more and gave an infatuous smile which would lead all pedophile to go all over him._

_Twi…ns? He was a twin with this boy…? He sure didn't like one._

_"Kurosaki Hichigo," the pallid boy handed his white hand to me nonchalantly, and so I automatically gave mine, shaking it with his hand._

_Cold._

_Not just pale, he was cold as well. Like he's just no more than a living zombie._

_"Oo, yeah… Mom?" Ichigo looked up to her mom, grabbing her dress while he did so._

_"What is it, Ichigo?_

_"…I want to pee…," he said it softly, almost whispering, while a color of pink crept onto his face. She giggled a bit on her son's shyness and nodded. Aunt Masaki then turned towards us –me and Hichigo- who were still grabbing each other hands and said, "Well, Hichigo, Tatsuki-chan. Excuse us for a moment then. Take care of her, 'kay, Hichigo?". And so they left._

_The scene was getting more and more awkward; we still grabbed each other hands while he eyed me suspiciously, golden eyes moved back and forth as like he was analyzing me. I couldn't help but being sweaty and all, and how I felt my palm dampened because of my sweat._

_Then he released his grip, closing his eyes in a gentle way and gave a small smile—no, _smirk _at me, on the contrary of the former._

_"Don' ever made 'im cry again, 'kay?"_

_"Right…," he opened his eyes slowly and gave a blood-shot glare. "Tatsuki-san?"_

_And with that… strange… glare, he turned his back and waved his hand gently, before walking towards the opened door and leaving me alone in the dojo, not counting some peoples who were cleaning the dojo._

_What… was that?_

_I could felt my legs shaking and my hands trembling, back of my neck seemed to prickled once more, just like the other time. Now I know what caused it, or more exactly, _who_ caused it._

_If anything I can't stand him for, it was because of his golden eyes…_

_Something about it, seemed to be… inhuman._

"And so, that was my first meeting with him." Tatsuki ended her tale.

"Uuuhm…," Orihime seemed to be the first to comment it. "So…, he really looked like Kurosaki-kun? Just with different color?"

"More like a blatant rip-off rather than anything. If he's not albinism I'll be he'd be just look like Ichigo, in term of appearances, of course." Tatsuki rubbed his messy hair and averted her eyes to the midget who was sitting beside her; a great shock clearly written on her small face.

"Kuchiki?" Tatsuki asked to assured herself that Rukia was alright.

"Sorry…," she shook her head slightly. "I'm just thinking about something. Please, go on."

The other black-haired just muttered silence before resuming her speech.

"And after that, every time I went to Ichigo's house, he was always there, usually reading book accompanied by Ichigo himself in their bedroom—,"

"Kurosaki-kun and Kurosaki-kun's brother share bedroom together?" the brunette rang a voice, a small pink on her cheek as an image of her and Kurosaki-kun sharing bedroom together.

"Uuh, yes?" Tatsuki seemed to be hesitant at the moment. "They're twins, after all."

Rukia coughed a little, "Uum, please resume your story

"Okay…, or, if he didn't read books, he would play chess with Ichigo-,"

"Ich-Kurosaki-san could play chess!?" now the midget asked, seemed to be perplexed by the thought of a brute like Ichigo could play a logic game like… chess…

"Yes, it seems unlikely, but that fool could play chess. He's a nerd, after all." Tatsuki said while her mouth pouted a little in remembrances of Ichigo's school record, the 23rd place of all 322 students.

"And then, one day…," Tatsuki resumed her tale again. "One day, Hichigo-," her voice suddenly halt, her body not moved, as if thinking for something.

"Tatsuki-chan?" Orihime asked, slightly worried.

"Sorry, it's nothing." Tatsuki shook her head trying to reassured her friend –which was reassured- and sighed a little before her eyes started to get weary again, to a reason that both of the girls knew too well. "One day, he just… vanished… I-I really can't explain it, h-he just… gone for good. Ichigo never talked about him anymore at school, no one in the dojo ever asked about him anymore, not even one slightest fact that he once lived… He's just… Like he's never there to begin with…,"

Somehow Orihime's brown eyes widened after she heard what Tatsuki said just now. At the first time she heard it she couldn't realize it yet, just when suddenly something popped in her mind when she saw Rukia's face. This case? This was just look like what happened to Rukia her imprisonment not too long ago in Soul Society; she vanished in the real world; not even one people remember her; just like something hat had happened on Kurosaki-kun's brother, Hichigo…

The brunette then narrowed her eyes to look at the raven-haired shinigami who was sitting beside Tatsuki. The Kuchiki seemed also realize the oddity in Ichigo's brother's case and noticed the similarity with her case. But somehow it was still confused her in a way, on how the only people who managed to kept their memories of Ichigo was Tatsuki, _only_. In her case, it's because Orihime and Sado were influenced by Ichigo's overflowing reiatsu first hand which awoken their power; to see what they do not meant to see, was what Urahara told them before, which, in other words, would be truth. Ooh, wait, there was still Ishida, too. Ishida was a Quincy, and Quincy already has the skill to saw ghost and Hollows.

But there was _no_ logical explanation for this. Even how unlogical it was for death peoples roaming around in the real world (it's logical to her though; she's dead already), this was more unlogical… Since, first and foremost, Ichigo, and, of course, his brother, have no slightest interaction with Soul Society and the like when the event took time. Okay, Ichigo could see ghost since he was a child (which then Rukia assumed that his twin could, too. Usually that happens between twins anyway), but she will just leave that alone since his first encounter with Hollow didn't include any shinigami at all. Beside, he told her himself he met a shinigami for the first time in his life when he saw Rukia. And then, secondly, the case itself sounded fishy… Since no one can't prove for what Tatsuki said to her, now that's another problem again. Who knows, maybe it's just her imagination after all. Ever heard about imaginary friend we got at the age of toddlers? Yeah, that'd be it. But…, would she? I mean, she have this depressed look of her, weary eyes and messy hair, Arisawa Tatsuki, the runner up from Japan International Karate Interhigh, acting all like _this._

Third, there was another question in her mind again yet been explained which would need the second question to be answered first. _Why_ Tatsuki? Why can't other people, for a straight example, Ichigo himself, remember about his brother instead of Tatsuki? By how she told her her tale, it was clearly written that they're not in good terms –or that's what she thought anyway-, which means she would be the last person to manage to keep their memories on.

There are two way to know that this was true. First, beat Ichigo 'till death so he could remember—simply out of the question, or, check the list of the peoples living in Rukongai—which would take weeks, no, months, no, years, NO, DECADES.

But, she quickly stood up from the bench, a sound of the metal gritted against the cobbled road beneath could be heard as she did so. Just when before she wanted to walk away, a hand grabbed her wrist quickly albeit weakly. Turning her head, she saw that the black-haired girl was the one who grabbed her arm, eyes were tired and face was weary.

"Kuchiki…," said the girl tentatively. "Don't tell this to anyone, 'kay? I want to have Ichigo's confirmation on this matter first."

She smiled to the black-haired girl and then bowed, returning to her usual fake demeanor she always used in the real world.

"I deeply grateful for what you had told me earlier, Arisawa." She lifted the edge of her uniform skirt slightly. "I won't tell this to anyone, I promise."

The girl smiled at her although her sweat dropped in react of the Shinigami's formal attitude, before waving at the running Rukia who waved back before rushing off out from the park. She tilted her head ten to look at the brunette who was still sitting beside her and smiled back.

"Thank you, Tatsuki-chan." She said, and as if she could read other people's mind, she answered, "Don't worry, I know about Rukia-chan. She can be trusted."

Tatsuki smiled again and sighed deeply to release her exhaustion, before leaning her head on Orihime's shoulder and said softly, "I hope that idiot would be alright…,"

The brunette didn't answer.

She somehow doubted that, although didn't want to admit it; she just want her dear Kurosaki Ichigo to be alright.

Orihime gulped a little of her saliva before muttered a soft, "Yes…" before propping her head onto Tatsuki's head

But that 'yes' quickly turned devoid as someone began to awaken somewhere.

* * *

Somewhere else in Ichigo's mind, where countless skyscraper buildings stood still in the upside down world of his, a glimpse of white color could be seen in the middle of the blue sky and buildings. The white form was lying on a side of a building, placing his white body on the glassy window which was colored blue too. Both of his hands and legs were outstretched, eyes closed as some incoherent mumble could be heard from his parting lips. His chest moved up and down steadily along with his breathing. He was sleeping peacefully, like an innocent toddler who had been sung a lullaby by his mom and was having a good dream.

But that peaceful sleep was ruined when suddenly a venomous sound of crack echoed in the world, thus awaking the teen abruptly.

His eyes cracked open after the moment of the venomous crack sounded just now, revealing his black-tinted sclera and his menacing golden eyes. He didn't need time to know what the crack supposed to be; he already knew what it was.

He then sat cross-legged on the blue window. Raising his right hand, he tilted his head to look at it, when a faint black substance much like a mini Cero began to form in his palm, which, before long, shattered in his hand with the same sound of _'crack!'_ he heard before.

He scoffed at this, before making the usual maniacal smirk on his face.

"Che, Tatsuki, Tatsuki…," he shook his head. "Ya broke the barrier, huh? Wha' a bothersome girl…, now I can't act fer what'ver I wan'…,"

He licked his upper lips with the tip of his blue tongue gleefully. "Nyeh. Who gave a damn 'bout how I did it anyway. What what matter 're the results. 'side, I'll get to see how Ichi struggles so much in order to resis' me, and how his face will be when he finally 'now tha' his struggles 're futile. Would be soooo priceless, I bet."

The albino rose up on his feet, before grinning madly and said, "Now, it's time ta wreak havoc."

_-to be continued

* * *

_

Okay, guys, I know you must have some confusion in your mind about the story. Since in the first part (Ichigo's POV) I used a first-person perspective, that most of you will indicate that Ichigo already remembered about his forgotten brother. On the contrary; he still haven't but in the he have; he just unconsciously remembered Hichi (much like a trance state), but thanks for his denial of Hichi's existence (like I've stated too in the second from last phrase of Ichigo's POV) that memories kinda slipped through his head and was buried down inside. And, yeah, too, I know I know. Tatsuki was awfully pretty OOC in this chapter __ (in my first draft of this chapter, I intended to make her cry, which was more OOC… My first thought was that she _did _cry around the first time Orihime got her Shun-shun Rikka. Okay she's not crying! But at least she got tears!) By the way, just for some side note, I actually wanted to add, "Screw the rules, I've brute strength!" in Hichigo' last sentence, lol. But that was just really out of nowhere, wasn't it? That's it for this chapter. Don't forget to leave review and some helpful critic? (Yes, my grammar is the worst, if that's the first thing you wanted to point out in the review)


	6. The Existence of 'Twins'

I'm still alive in case you're wondering, just half-dead because of the loadsome of schoolworks. But, hey, I managed to make this chapter. Not much to say beside an apology for the lateee update. Sorry guys! And thanks for everyone who reviewed in the last chapter! Enjoy then :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Kubo Tite does.

Notice: I found that Ichigo's conversation latter in his mind in this chapter (and I believe, for further chapter) was slightly confusing, due with all the talks written in Italic. So I decided to write this for some helps.

'…' (Ichigo talks)

"…" (Hichigo talks)

Although, yeah, if you read it by skimming (which sometimes I did because of the lack of time, aaand I don't think I'm the only to do this in the world), this could be completely pointless.

* * *

It was quite a nice day at Karakura; a clear blue sky without any cotton-candy like cloud to spot, such day would have been very enjoyable if one neglected the heavy feeling in the air. Yes, no birds were passing by through the unusually clear sky; how the air felt tense and heavy, and the town was quiet, albeit the murmuring of some anxious mothers of their children who had been unlucky enough to not comeback home yet.

Of course, a certain green-wearing shop owner noticed this feeling, too. Urahara Kisuke took a deep breath and sighed, before putting back his hat which had been lying on the floor untouched just now. The blonde glanced at a nearby calendar at his room (the usual green _tatami_'d room with a small round wooden table at the center of the room) and saw the date of today.

11th of August.

'_Time sure passes quickly, hmm?'_ he thought that to himself and smiled weakly to none. _'It's nearly 4 years since that 'little' incident.'_

He glided across the floor and leaned his head on the also-green wall, sighing once again and looked at the window-pane beside. His glazy eyes scrutinized the clear blue sky, moving up and down from the sky to the quiet town beneath from his working room. Any ordinary people would'd seen the sky as the usual another clear and peaceful day of Karakura Town albeit slightly intimidating by how quiet it was, but sadly, he didn't.

In the sky, Urahara saw black markings staining the blue sky, moving incredibly fast from side to side with some horde of white being slashed and cut and pierced by a sharp, glistening thing that the black thing carried along in his sprint.

Why, he didn't need to move closer to the place to have a better sight of the creature; he already knew what they were—a Shinigami and a horde of Hollows.

It should've been a usual sight for him, for he was a Shinigami too once. But he couldn't help but feel intrigued after realizing the shinigami who was fighting the Hollow right now, especially after the hunch he made earlier was proven after seeing an orange hue in the middle of the black thing.

Well, it _was_ indeed a usual sight; Kurosaki Ichigo was the Soul Society's Substitute Shinigami who was ordered to patrol Karakura Town after all. The reckless boy would dash off from his house and would kill any Hollow roaming in the street in sight, even if he was not called for. But what intrigued him was not the sight itself, it's the feeling that the boy emanated from the outside, specifically, his overflowing reiatsu that seemed to be mixed with…_something._

He chuckled and shook his head flippantly; the Kurosaki family was indeed interesting, weren't they?

Just before he could return to his workloads of his shop's expenses and unpaid taxes, pretending to be oblivious to the sight, suddenly the door slid open, revealing a stout man with a worried look that's not matching with his manly face and muscular body.

"Kisuke!!" Tessai cried. "Outside, it's Kurosaki Ichigo-dono—,"

"Now, now, Tessai, why don't you take a breath and calm yourself down?" Urahara still joked despite the tone Tessai used earlier, alarming like an emergencies situation was in, although the bigger man nodded and followed his advice after then.

"Kisuke." Now his voice was collected and his eyes –still shaded by his spectacles- trailed to the window and saw the shinigami and the hollows, also noticing the reiatsu the boy emanated. "You've seen Kurosaki-dono outside, haven't you?"

Urahara nodded, his face was stern now.

"Should we tell Isshin about this?"

Urahara shook his head.

Tessai sighed upon seeing the shop owner reaction and then quickly regained his composure and stated, "Kisuke, you sould've been more open to your customer, especially if it was Isshin.". The he added, "You really don't want him to go rage against you."

Urahara didn't react directly to Tessai's accusation, nor did he try to deny it; he usually kept the most crucial secrets unknown to his customers—and his friends. And he didn't deny the fact that Isshin-san was a powerful shinigami too, though. In one-on-one match, there's likely that he'd lose from the Kurosaki. Regardless, his eyes glanced back to the shinigami floating above the town, somehow his ear caught a piercing roar of agony by being slashed from the hollow outside. But he neglected it nevertheless.

"…I didn't do it as a seller," A sudden faint voice resonated through the room, earning Tessai's attention back to the man sitting at the far-end of the room.

"I did it as Isshin-san's friend." Urahara added.

The stout man didn't reply, instead his moustache wriggled a bit after the ex-shinigami captain's statement. Not everyday you could hear Kisuke saying something along those lines. Heh, even maybe this was the first time Tessai heard Urahara said something honest concerning his social relationship like that.

"Beside," Urahara stood up from where he was sitting once and readjusted his hat, "even if I did it as a seller, what we've given to Isshin-san was not a fail product, right?"

"Not _yet_." Tessai warned the green-wearing man again, prodding his glassess as he did so. "If this last any longer, Kurosaki-dono's mind could not endure the pain inflicted to him by the ressurection of his brother. Either the both of them will break down, or it'll end as bad as you'd predicted."

"Don't you worry, Tessai." The green-wearing man padded on the green floor, reaching his hand onto a cane placed at the corner of the room –Benihime, the zanpakutou hidden as a stick-, swung it lightly before placing it on his right shoulder. Urahara padded across the room and walked pass the bigger man, saying, "Kurosaki-san is a strong boy."

Urahara then left, leaving Tessai in complete solitude in the plain green room. Why, why did he not reassured by Urahara's statement? Sure, he knew the scientist should have made a plan in the back of his mind secretly and about Kurosaki-dono was a strong boy, but…

Why did he have a feeling like a catastrophe would befall them later?

* * *

A certain short in both hair and height shinigami was rushing through the road of Karakura Town, a zanpakutou with the color of an ice attached on her waist, undetected by the other innocent ordinary peoples that kept passing by on her journey. The shinigami was clutching a white handphone in her clenched hand, a beeping noise occasionally rang from it.

"Aaarrggh!! Why should Hollows come at a time like this!?" she shouted to no one indignantly, and it's not like the other peoples could hear her shouting like mad anyway.

Well, some times ago, when Kuchiki Rukia was trying to come back to her temporary house to drag Ichigo to have an 'examination' at Urahara's shop, suddenly her handphone –which a Hollow radar application was downloaded in- rang and she quickly phased to her shinigami form, leaving her gigai at the hand of Chappy. And, of course, she was not completely happy with it. Hence she was shouting endlessly to let her anger out from her before proceeding into the battle.

Rukia then leapt into the air and focused on the reiatsu around her to make the air substantial for her, proceeding to make a way in the air. Rukia kept running on the air until she found her targets. Just above the small park of the also relatively small Karakura Town, lay a horde of Hollows, rotating a single shadowy figure clad in a black shihakushō, who was slaying the Hollows mercilessly, bloods splattered and coloured the blue sky before the heartless creatures disintegrated into a thick layer of dusts. The shinigami (Ichigo, of course, Rukia assured herself, looking at the clearly seen silly colour of orange protruding from his head, although she was watching in distance) was flailing his cleaver-like zanpakuto in an incredible speed, unseen by naked eyes.

'_He doesn't need any help,'_ Rukia thought to herself, and nearly wanted to leave the area before she finally realized about something and quickly turned her head to the fighting shinigami.

'_Dammit, Rukia! You silly! Ichigo still has those wounds from yesterday!'_ she smacked her head mentally and quickly ran to the fighting area indignantly. _'Now what would happen if he wounded himself again? Or another deep cut across the chest? Nearly got himself killed?! Aaack! What's wrong with your mind, Rukia!! You don't want to be stuck in the same room with those weirdos again—,'_

Suddenly, something clicked on the back of her mind.

'_Urahara.' _The enigmatic man's name seemed to echo on her mind.

Rukia closed her eyes for a moment to try to recall what the ex-captain said to her this morning. About that one particular conversation.

* * *

"_What do you want to talk about?" Rukia asked Urahara as her hands drifted slowly to the door and closed it. The said man was already sitting on the far-end of his private room, separated by the others and located far back in the suprisingly large house. He chose this room since he said to the female shinigami that it was best that this conversation was not going to be heard by anyone. _

_But the green-wearing man didn't answer and his gaze trailed off to the outside world, behind the glassframe. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, before gazing back to the raven-haired shinigami._

"_Kuchiki-san?"_

"_What?"_

"_If anything ever happens to Kurosaki-san in the future…,"_

"…_could you kill him?"

* * *

_

What a load of bullshit, Rukia thought to herself, then rushing towards the other fighting shinigami a few distances away.

What did that hat-and-clogs think anyway? Was his mind got defected somehow (well, that what usually happened to genius) and he couldn't even think straight anymore? He—he didn't expect her to, really, kill her best friend, did he?! Even on the most dangerous circumstances, she would not, ever, kill her friends…

Or would she?

* * *

"_Wh—what do you mean?" Rukia asked Urahara again with her brow creased, unsure by the seller's 'odd' pleading. "Th-there's nothing wrong with Ichigo, right?!"_

"_I don't want to be rude, but…," Urahara averted his gaze from the raven-haired girl, seemingly trying to avoid eye contacts._

"…_I'm afraid he would end up like Shiba-san."

* * *

_

That's it. Urahara succesfully pushed Rukia's berserk button whereas she landed a couple of Byakurai outright to his face out from anger. She then quickly rushed off from the private room without looking at the seemingly uninjured Urahara and went to check Ichigo instead (where then she found the redhead was already awoke). That's just too much for her to bear, and of course she don't want to recall any of those events that traumatize her so much.

She sighed and bit her lips when she stopped her dash, the fighting Ichigo a few distances away from her. Rukia braced herself, trying to make the thought go away from her mind as she reached out her hands, trying to position it in one way with a hollow few meters in front.

"_Hadou_ #4: _Byakurai!!_"

Her hands started to glow blue in just a split seconds before a blue thunder jolted from her palm, succesfully knocking the Hollow in front of her before the creature scattered into the air in dust form. While Ichigo slashed the last Hollow in the air and went still afterwards, leaving an awkward silence hung in the air. He didn't just make himself wounded again, did he?

"Ichigo?" Rukia asked, to reassure herself that the redhead was not hurt at all, but Ichigo didn't turn around nor moving in the slightest, his back still facing the raven-haired female.

"Ichigo, are you alright?" Rukia asked once more, and should she want to take another step forward…

…Zangetsu would cut her in half when the cleaver-like zanpakuto suddenly swing, nearly hitting her body.

"?!"

Rukia moved a few meters backward by the surprise attack, fortunate that she used a _shunpō _by instinct, tightening her grip on Sode no Shirayuki's hilt while her perplexed face saw… 'Ichigo', she thought, although a bit unsure, who was standing in front of her, Zangetsu still firm in his hand.

"Ichi…go?"

Then she noticed it, a faint colour of yellow glowing in his eyes, piercing right through her gaze, while she broke down, nearly losing her grip to Sode no Shirayuki's hilt because of sweats accumulated on her palm.

'_Who…is this?!'_

"Who are you?!" Rukia screamed to the 'Ichigo', but then was replied by a heavy blow of reiatsu being whipped through her body. She screamed, but found out that her voice was blocked the heavy amount of the reiatsu, making no word came out from her mouth. She tried to gasp for air, but it's like the reiatsu was piercing her lungs, making her gasping like crazy to catch for air. And when she tried to look up, she was greeted by a _grin._ A maniacal grin paired by a menacing golden eyes coming right from the scowling redhead she knew.

But just when she was nearly crushed by the weight of the reiatsu, the heavy tense of 'Ichigo''s reiatsu died down, his yellow iris returning back to his warm chocolate-brown one. And the place went peaceful, enabling Rukia to breath more properly, although still drenched in sweat after 'that' fearful moment.

The world went still, and, like he just had woken up from a dream, Ichigo's eyes widened and his hand –which was holding Zangetsu- fell to the side, looking at the exhausted female in front of him.

"Ru…kia?"

Rukia's eyes widened at the sudden change of aura, but she couldn't help when a weak smile crept up into her mouth, feeling relieved. _'This is Ichigo,'_ she thought. _'The usual Ichigo I knew.'_

Without further question, the substitute shinigami went _shunpō _to reach Rukia. It only took him a second, and when he reached her side, the girl suddenly slapped his cheek. _Hard._

"You, fool!!" A vein spasmed on her forehead, making Ichigo dumbstrucked by the sudden change of scene.

"W-what?!"

"You!!" She slapped him again. "Nearly!!" And slapped him again. "Frightened!!" And another slap. "Me!!" And another one. "To!!" And another. "Death!!". And another. "You!!". And the last. "JERK!!"

And when the barrage of slap ended, Ichigo had had his cheek red, and should I add that he was nearly broken to tears?

"What the hell was that for, you midget?!" Ichigo retaliated back, pinning the female's temple with both of his fist while Rukia screamed in pain.

"Aaarrgh!! St-stop that!! It hurts!" She screamed again, catching Ichigo's wrist with her small hand and trying to scooted it off of her head. To no avail, though. "You seriously frightened me back there—owwch, stop!!"

"Then what would you call 'barrage slapping' then?! A cordial wake up call for a comrade from his beauty sleep?! Why, thank you very much!!"

"Sleeping?! But you've been fighting earlier! Hello, wake up, Ichigo! Don't dream anymore! And stop pinning my head!!"

Ichigo raised his eyebrow while his hand loosing its pinning job earlier. He glanced at Rukia who was rubbing her temple, confused by her shouting just now. What the hell was this midget talking about? He had been sleeping peacefully on his bed until a few seconds ago, thanks for her slapping!

But when he looked below, he was even more confused when he realized that he was standing above Karakura Town, which meant… he had phased to his shinigami form all along? But, when? Or was he walking in his dream again? Nor did he actually remember that he was dreaming, though.

"You mean, Rukia," Ichigo said, earning Rukia's attention back to him again. "I was fighting here—with Hollow, I think, earlier?"

Rukia's eyebrow twitched, the boy sure hadn't waken up from his dream yet. "Well, what, you didn't?"

Ichigo shook his head, looking confused, "Because I don't feel that I did that. I mean, the last thing I remember was my head hitting the pillow. And I thought I was sleeping peacefully in my room?"

Doubt once again planted its seed on Rukia's mind again. So, the guy didn't realize that he was slashing hollows earlier? Was he just in a trance state? Or…, what? She gulped a little, she needed a confirmation firstly."So, you don't remember that you were fighting some hollows?"

"No. But it's weird anyway," Ichigo scratched his head. "how can I don't remember about what I had done earlier? Heh, I'm not possessed, aren't I." Ichigo just laughed flippantly at his self-made joke, but, for Rukia, it didn't feel like a joke at all. Contrary to the former, this actually _frightened_ her.

"…_I'm afraid he would end up like Shiba-san."_

That sentence, the one that Urahara said to her earlier, kept ringing in her mind. Possessed, like Ichigo had addressed earlier although it was just a guess. Possessed, like Shiba-san decades ago by that Hollow.

'He would end up like Shiba-san.'

No, no, no! So this was what Urahara meant by those words?! Ichigo, 'possessed' by some yet to be known force that nearly killed her earlier?! No! She wouldn't allow that happen once again. Not to Ichigo; not to her friend; not to anyone.

"Ichigo," her small hand quickly grabbed the redhead's wrist, too tight to Ichigo's favor although the boy just shrugged it off. "Do you happen to meet someone—something, be it a person—or Hollow, in the past few days?"

Ichigo's shoulder stiffened by the sudden change of Rukia's voice; hesitant and slightly worried, although he discarded it quickly when he heard the last part of her question. Someone—or something strange? He only could think about one particular person in his mind. Yes, that _one_. That imposter who had been saying all the time that he was his twin or something like that. But where did Rukia know about such thing? Especially considering that he just met that freaky white-man yesterday? He even hadn't mentioned this to anyone!

"Where did you hear about _him_?" Ichigo asked solemnly, slightly afraid of the female's inquiry.

"What? So you have indeed met with someone strange? Why don't you tell me earlier?!" Rukia shot him a surprised look while her grip tightened. _'Oh, shit.'_ Ichigo cursed himself as he slapped his head mentally, growing uncomfortable by the thought of where this conversation would lead them to. _'It's just a hunch, and I've practically confirmed it.'_

"Nothing." He replied, too quickly than his usual saying, which made Rukia's eyebrows creased even more.

"You liar, you contradict yourself there, Ichigo." She stated, while her free hand resting on her hips, giving an authority-vibe from the Kuchiki. "I want you to tell me who this guy is, _now_."

"He's nothing to be talked of." Ichigo replied in a cold tone, shoting a glare to the raven-haired female, giving a sign of how he really despised talking about that guy who'd been invading his mind yesterday.

"Stop being a jerkass and told me already!!" Rukia shouted, her patient nearly dried by how his friend sometimes could be so hard-headed and locked all of his problems by himself. "You don't say that the person you met was your brother, do you?!"

"He's not my brother!!" Ichigo shouted back indignantly, louder than the tone Rukia used earlier while his hand broke free Rukia's grip, leaving a kind of reddish mark on her palm since he slapped hers earlier.

"He's not, and never had been, my brother even once!!" the redhead screamed, clenching his fist while his nails dug onto the soft skin of his hand. "He's just—just a freak, a freak that just appeared outta nowhere and easily claimed that he's my twin or something!! I don't know that guy!!"

Rukia stayed on where she was standing, nor speak any word at all; she need to give Ichigo a time to lash his problem out from his mind, to actually share it with someone.

"I don't…don't know him, Rukia…," Ichigo voice sounded weak and almost pleading while his hand ran through his hair, a desperate look on his eyes like the end of the world was going to befall him later. "You need to believe me. Please."

"Ichigo…," Rukia said in a weak voice too, but afraid that her concern and sympathy over the redhead in front of him was shown to clearly. Lord knew how Ichigo hated sympathy. Then she asked, in a mother-lovingly voice, "Do you have a brother—your twin, Ichigo?"

"I…don't know." Ichigo replied weakly. This was an honest answer, Rukia thought to herself, the boy really did not know about his brother, or so Tatsuki say. But, it's the best of time to try to check it right now.

"Then do you want to try, Ichigo?"

The chocolate-brown eyes of Ichigo met her purple one, shooting a confused look. She just smiled.

"Try checking the existence of your twin."

* * *

So on, Ichigo and Rukia were now walking in the middle of the graveyard, with no words had been spoken since they left from the area earlier. Rukia was walking in front of Ichigo, who was seriously quiet for a known reason, his gaze fixed on his own feet.

Rukia, too, was quiet, and moreover, feeling guilty for her insolence by pestering Ichigo to try to find his so-called his twin who, by any chance, could not exist at all, despite all of Tatsuki's story she had told her a moment ago. But she just wanted to confirm her –and Ichigo's- doubt; the existence of his twin. Then, why the graveyard, you ask? Judging from how Tatsuki ended her story, with how she hadn't met with Hichigo since, Rukia guessed that the closest thing to logic was this Hichigo was dead. And, Ichigo had told her once that he born in Karakura, and the only graveyard Karakura Town ever had was this one. That's why they –or she, since Ichigo hadn't talked since their conversation earlier- chose this place, where basically all corpses in Karakura was buried in.

Then, if they _did _find his graveyard should it ever exist at all, this would greatly increase her accusation on who had possessed Ichigo that time. The basic instinct of Hollow was to fill its void in heart by eating the person they loved, so maybe Ichigo's twin hadn't pass through the living world to Soul Society, leaving him with the only choice of becoming an unpurified plus. Maybe his soul chain had finally devoured itself, turning him into a hollow which could explain the reason why he appeared in front of Ichigo recently.

But, Ichigo _did_ say after their departure that the odd person he met (high chance that this guy was really his hollowed twin, Rukia thought) was…human-looking. No mask, no hole, just a normal white-shihakushō wearing white guy who's been messing with Ichigo's mind. Yeah, normal. Anyway, joke aside, somehow Rukia had a very little doubt that that guy Ichigo told her was his twin, a gaping hole that prevent her from confirming his guess of her first conclusion. Because his description of his pyhsical atributes were distinctly far from a Hollow's. Heck, even this was a news to her of a hollow resembling a human's body, note that it's just an 'if', if the guy Ichigo met was indeed a Hollow.

It's not the time to think, though. They need to confirm it first before jumping into any conclusion.

But… this silent was seriously unnerving, Rukia thought to herself as her shoulder stiffened. How could she start her search if she had a feeling of being stalked by an unknown, evil-intended person? Yes, somehow Ichigo's aura was different that the usual, like he's going to kill you any time lest you're making a wrong move.

She gulped; maybe it's a good thing to break the silent now?

"Ichigo, want to try to go a little bit further?"

Nothing rang from the redhead's mouth, just sound of foot steps echoing in the air. Then she realized, this place was near the grave of Ichigo's late mother. She had a doubt that this was the reason, though. But asking never hurt, right?

"Want to stop for a moment, Ichigo?"

"No."

His immediate reply nearly frightened her to death, but she bit her lower lips, to prevent herself from looking scared. After some split seconds of bracing herself, she finally turned to look at the substitute shinigami.

"Are you sure?"

Ichigo nodded, before scuttering into the sea of graves without looking at Rukia anymore. And for what Rukia had concluded, it seemed that the boy had no set destination in his mind; just trying to pass the time until it get too late and their search must then be stopped.

Kurosaki Hichigo… Ichigo's twin that Tatsuki spoke of. Maybe he hoped that they wouldn't find his graveyard, at all. Fear of the guy's words that could be the truth.

* * *

Ichigo couldn't believe what he saw right now.

On the very far-end of the hill of the graveyard, stood a small tomb, no more that a small flat stone you'd get from a poor family, with its bottom corner covered in moss. Despite the moss and the aging, nearly crumbling stone, somehow, the words engraved on it was clearly seen, _way _too clear, much to Ichigo's fear.

The words, _that _name.

A name, his family name, _'his'_ given name, was engraved on the small stone.

KUROSAKI HICHIGO

"No…," He stepped back, eyes widening at the name in front of him.

"No…, no…, no…! It—it's not possible—! I, I… don't have any—!"

"_Twin? But I _am _'ere, King." _A sudden, distorted voice echoed on his mind, making the scared redhead stumbled onto the ground by surprise.

'_Y-you…,'_

"_Yes, me, Ichigo."_ A light chuckle resonated in his mind, with each every passing second louder and louder, making the hair of his back prickled by the frightening voice.

"_Your 'beloved' big brother, Hichigo?"_

And the only thing he could hear now was a distorted mocking laugh, and… a childish giggle?

But before he could confirm whose voice it was, the darkness engulfed him.

* * *

Not much IchiHichi progression being made here. Well, this's just a prologue for the big stage next chapter where Ichi finally remember about his twin! –dramatic drum rolls-. Of course, Hichi will get his appearances in the next chapter. And, yes I love tormenting Rukia xD Ooh, and in case you had forgotten it already, this took place before the Arrancar Arc, that's why Rukia was confused by the thought of human-looking Hollow :P

And, just some information, guys. The story will update very slowly due to ever-lasting tests from school. This is my last year and sure there are many works (and tests) to be made. But, I will be free in May and (hopefully) my score will suffice so I won't repeat another terrible year of being a senior again. Wish me luck!

That's it, reviews, opinions, critics, suggestions are welcome!


	7. The Connundrum of 'Twins'

Hey, I'm back! Thanks for the reviews, it finally reached 50! Cheers! xD And~ Here's the revelation you all have been waiting for! And yeah, for the previous chapter, I gotta pull an I'm your brother, Luk—err… Ichigo xD Horay for cliché! I recently read a book about the conscious, subconscious and unconscious mind. And I should admit that I don't really understand about the subconscious mind; kinda made the whole things up here. So I'm sorry for any mistake later –the subconscious explanation- to any advanced psychiatrist (or simply anyone who understand such things)

Disclaimer: Bleach © Aizen Sousuke—wait, that must be wrong—Kubo Tite.

* * *

Ignorance was bliss. That's what peoples had been saying all the time. But it truly was; being ignorant for him was like a miracle.

But now he couldn't act ignorant, could he? He could no longer act oblivious to the truth when the truth had finally come face-to-face with him. Thus must he come to face it—the thing that stood in front of him a moment ago; something he feared to exist, because of an existence of something forgotten.

But why did he fear them? The truth? Where most peoples need to struggle first to reach it—when not even in death could they find such thing—when he could easily touch them as like they're flocking into you?

Because the truth always hurts.

* * *

Darkness was all he saw.

But, a small spot of light then popped up in the middle of the black, later growing wider and wider as he slowly opened his (strangely) tired eyes. Then, the darkness was completely devoured by a blinding light. The blinding light was actually the light of the sun –which he, strangely, could not find- Then he found and saw the sky, a quiet cheery blue one like the colour of a calm sea with drifting clouds hanging lazily above him. Such a sereneful time, he thought, nearly wanting to close his eyes once more, but it was all broken when a distorted chuckle echoed in his inner world.

_His_ chuckle.

He got up (he seemed to be in a lying position before), eyes widening after hearing such a creepy laugh. The laugh that always unnerved him every time he heard such sound—something that his mind could quickly register whose voice it was by the creepiness. He turned his head, only to spot a white lump in the far-end of the building he was currently sitting on.

He could not forget that golden eyes covered in black.

Kurosaki Hichigo.

"Yo, King," Hichigo waved his hand with his perpetual smirk plastered on his face, slightly mocking much to Ichigo's chagrin. "How's yer nap? Wan' me ta sing ya a lullaby?"

Ichigo didn't reply, just giving his albino twin (which he still denied although the evidences clearly confirmed it) a vengeful scoff with his brows creased more than his usual frown. Hichigo just cackled into laughter while the redhead was still giving him the same kind of expression. And when his guffaw died down, Ichigo hadn't broken his perpetual frown for even once, which made him snickered looking at his twin's constant hatred.

Hichigo leapt into the air, making Ichigo dumbstrucked for a few moments and quickly got up from where he was lying before. But much to his confusion, instead attacking directly, the albino took a spot a few distances away from him, although was far closer than his former spot before.

Then, Hichigo's grin was suddenly broken, replaced by a far too pleasant smile, making Ichigo shuddered at how cute—no! His mind wouldn't allow such word to pass, especially against someone like _that_! No, no… He shook his head mentally, almost slapping himself. It's not that cut—that cursed word; this was more like—somehow…

Nostalgic?

"It's always tranquiling, you know," Hichigo started, looking at Ichigo with his smile still on his lip. Ichigo also noticed the change of accent, but decided to just shrug it off.

"Looking at your sleeping face, something I'd treasure more than anything else." The albino hugged himself, looking faintly pleased by a hint of red on his cheek. "Oh, you know that… I'd _kill _for that."

And that only word shattered the word of cut—nostalgic to pieces.

"You freak," Ichigo quickly retorted, growing uncomfortable by the sudden hint of indirect lusting shown by his white counterpart in one sickly way, much to make the hair on his back prickled. "Go comply your face-fetish somewhere else."

"Oh, you 'r so cold, King!" he laughed flippantly, returning to his usual mocking accent. "You 're one t' talk, aren't ya, Ichi? When ya practically had an ass-fetish back then! Ooh, c'mon! Jus' look at yer face when we took a bath t'gether!!"

"Shut up!! Stop spitting lies like that!!" Ichigo screamed indignantly, finally drawing Zangetsu from his back before lunging it forward right onto the albino's chest. But, much to the redhead's surprise, the albino successfully blocked his attack in ease by the blunt side of his newly drawn zanpakutō—which, surprisingly, was a color-swapped of his Zangetsu, with the iron in the bottom was tinted white while the top was black, contrary with Ichigo's. His brown eyes just widened at these shocking spectacles, making Hichigo's grin grew wider upon seeing his reactions.

"Ooh, bu' I didn't, Ichi." Hichigo said, swinging his sword to the side which forced Ichigo to take a few steps back in order to not get his body being slashed by his zanpakutō counterpart. "Wasn't mommy always saying tha' liar will go ta hell?"

One mention of his mother, Ichigo's brow twitched, even more annoyed by the albino's words. How dare he… How dare he spoke about his mother with that filthy mouth, a mouth of a hollow!

"I…," a soft moan resonated, wrapped by culminating hatred which caught the albino's attention. "…have said,"

'_This is it,'_ Hichigo thought to himself while his white hand with black nails reached out, pointing his index finger in one way with Ichigo which then a sickeningly glow of red started to form at the tip of his finger. _'Man, the idiot still is very protective to mom, huh?'_

"Don't you ever talk about my mother like that!!!"

'_Oh, well,' _he smirked. _'Ichigo sure hasn't changed at all, has he? Still my lovable brother…,'_ Then he looked at Ichigo who ran forward with Zangetsu being held by both of his hands over his head, attempting to chop him into a half. Unfortunately, the Cero Hichigo was charging had already finished, emanating a complete glowing ball coloured in blood-red at the tip of his finger

'_My lovable, cute, hard-headed, and _alive _brother.'_

And the blood-red Cero blasted from his finger.

* * *

When he saw the red Cero coming right to him, Ichigo's brown eyes widened, giving a look of agony in his face. _'Cero!'_ he shouted in his mind, remembering a certain blast of white energy a Gillian he fought a few months back released. But then, his fear was quickly replaced by confidence, smiling triumphantly as he placed Zangetsu in front of him.

'_I can do this,'_ he said to himself confidently while he looked at the Cero. _'I have done this before; blocking this attack months back. Now I'm stronger, of course I can do this again!'_

The light the Cero made had blinded Ichigo from sight, but he had charged his reiatsu into his zanpakutō, confident that he'd block the attack. But before the blood-red Cero collided with his sword, a sudden darkness gained his sight, although the light the Cero emanated could still creep into the darkness despite of its thickness.

Ichigo then noticed this darkness was none other than Zangetsu, the funky old man of personification of his sword, himself.

"Zangetsu ojii-san!" Ichigo shouted, although the sound of Cero clashing with something that sounded like a steel making it nearly inaudible it. He concluded then, that the Cero was blocked by Zangetsu jii-san's own sword.

"We must run, Ichigo." Zangetsu remarked with a calm voice, still facing his back to Ichigo in order to hold the Cero.

"But—!"

"No 'but' this time, Ichigo. We're leaving."

Exactly after the zanpakutō finished his saying, the black, ragged garments Zangetsu wore somehow, like a living thing, suddenly grew wider and wider, pressing itself into Ichigo's skin before wrapping him completely within its coldness and also endless darkness.

* * *

When the Cero died down, Hichigo could no longer see his target—Ichigo. It confused him first, thinking that it's impossible for the King to suddenly retreat back to the real world. But it didn't take him for long to guess where the redhead had gone—or who had taken him to God-knows-where.

"Che," his eyebrow twitched and he rubbed his white snowy hair. He was annoyed that he failed to do what he had planned to do. "Tha' old man, always interruptin' peoples' business. Guess Zangetsu-san was also bored in this one hell of mind, huh?"

Hichigo sighed heavily, stabbing the white Zangetsu into the building and rested his weary shoulder on its blunt side before siding slowly, sitting on the ground. He ran a hand again through his white hair, his glazy eyes now gazing at the countless buildings stood still in front of him.

He sighed wearily for a moment; he didn't want to go for Ichigo first. Too much work. Beside, he had already known the place where Zangetsu-san had taken him to. Aside from that reason, he, too, didn't want to go back to _that_ place yet.

Because he loathed that place.

The place he called home for 4 years.

When he opened his eyes, what greeted him was darkness.

But, strangely, this darkness felt…different… He still could see his robust hand, still could differ his black robes from the perpetual darkness. It's just like some kind of light emanated from him. But…, how come?

And, just like someone had known his question by reading his mind, a voice in the dark said, "It's not dark, Ichigo. It's just black."

He turned around, only to find the human of Zangetsu in the middle of the 'black-ness' as he said so.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked, looking confused.

"It's just that." Zangetsu said, taking a step forward with the sound of _'tap' 'tap' 'tap' _filled the dark abyss. "Black doesn't always mean it's dark. The same goes with white and light."

"Eerr, yeah…," Ichigo scratched his head, looking perplexed by the old zanpakutō's words. He was indeed a clever student (not in the same level of Ishida though, that guy was a total bookworm), but he didn't understand nor care about these kind of things. He needed a straight answer, and chose not to go for riddles and the likes.

But he needed to stop worrying about that kind of thing. There's a far more important thing to take care of.

"Zangetsu-san." Ichigo started, crossing his arm morosely and looked at the older man's face with a piercing gaze. "Why did you _save _me? I could have blocked the Cero!"

"Are you trying to attempat a suicide, Ichigo?" Zangetsu replied sternly, glaring at his wielder. "You'd be killed by a Cero of that level on the spot."

He was slightly taken aback by that statement; why, even his sword had doubted him! He even could block the Cero the Gillian shot at that time where he didn't even know what the hell Shikai and Bankai were! Was that imposer—liar—hollow—whatever—much more powerful than him, who had attained Bankai, to the point that he _must_ be saved by others?!

"Do not feel embarassed of someone saving you, Ichigo. Sometimes it is the best option to retreat in an unwinable battle." Said Zangetsu, clearly knowing what his wielder was thinking at the time. "And as you know it: there's no 'another time' in a war. You'll simply die."

He frowned again, knowing that his sword was right after all. He just didn't want to admit it that he _ran _from a fight. To die in one-hit of a Cero would be a stupid death. Then, sighing in a feeling of defeat, Ichigo rubbed his nose, somehow feeling giddy of these unbelieveable truths and statement, he seriously needed some more sleep for later, and probably take a holiday from school.

"Fine," came the hoarse voice of Ichigo in an exasperated tone. "Guess I'm sorry then, jii-san." And the personification of the black sword gave a soft smile upon hearing his wielder's apology. But without giving Zangetsu any time to commend him by being (strangely) open-minded, Ichigo continued, "So, where the hell _is_ here? And why did you never tell about _him_? Don't try to hide it anymore; I know you know."

The smile quickly dissapeared from the old man's face, replaced by a solemn expression. Zangetsu closed his eyes, ignoring the inquiring gaze from Ichigo; he had taken a vow to never tell Ichigo the truth about his brother until he was ready (and at first thought, he planned to tell Ichigo should he turn to twenty, _that_ if his father hadn't told him first beforehand), and the zanpakutō feared that his wielder was not ready for it yet. Beside, Hichigo had told him to not let a soul know that he was having a residence in Ichigo's mind, saying that he feared his plan for his twin would fail.

But in the end, who was he stop his wielder to know the truth? As his zanpakutō, he knew that his wielder was one hard-headed adolescent boy, who not even his family and friends could stop him once he settled about something, even how reckless that something was. So Zangetsu smiled faintly, unseen by Ichigo who was still waiting to get a reply. He just hoped that everything would turn out to be alright after all of this mess and explaining.

"This is a place of your subconscious mind," Zangetsu finally talked. "Here is an invisible bridge between the real world and your inner world—or, as the people in your world say: your conscious and unconscious mind."

"Okay, so I am on a bridge now, right. And then?"

"As a matter of fact, this 'bridge' is, normally, cannot be reached in any way, and _any _one. I can't, and not even you, the holder of this inner world, can reach this place. Everything is prohibited to enter this place, only a select few-things can come naturally into here. To put it simply: altough this place exists, this subconscious place of your—and any other humans'—is also nowhere."

"And then, why am I now _here_?"

Silence was the first of the sword's reply, his aging face looking down at his non-existent feet, but at last he looked at his wielder's brown chocolate eyes once more, ready to spill all the truth.

"This place…has been messed up 4 years ago," said Zangetsu in a somewhat apologetic tone, earning an anxious glance from the teen before him.

"Messed up? By who?"

"For the time being, I do not know. But whoever this person was, whatever his doing that night 4 years ago has made a path to this most protective part of your mind, which we normally can't gain access to."

"What—but, why would he do that? And, what do you mean by 'the most protective part of my mind'?"

"Something that has fallen –or come naturally- here will never come back again in any normal circumstances. That's why people doesn't aware of their subconscious mind. But, all thing that has fallen here –mostly consisted of emotions and instinct- manifests in the conscious mind, like your desire to win, to succeed, to protect, anything. Any action you've done in the past that was driven by emotions were the results of this place, like a an unknown hidden desire. That's why, this it the best place of the mind for yourself—and intruders, to lock something up, resulting in a made-up amnesia."

"To…lock…something?" asked Ichigo, feeling much more bewildered than anything, where Zangetsu only nodded, knowing that his wielder would sooner or latter realize what was the meaning of his saying.

Putting his hand on his chin, Ichigo began to contemplate in order to decipher what his zanpakutō had said. The old man must had thrown some hints along with his long rants. But what could it be? What Ichigo could remember for now were: this place was a bridge (_'Between my mind and the world,_'); it's nowhere and also elsewhere (_'Combine both and I'd get…, middlewhere?' _Thought the redhead sarcastically); cannot be touched in normal circumstances, anything that was placed here could not come back (_'Like a deep pit maybe?' _ThoughtIchigo); peoples (_'Including me I think,'_ thought Ichigo again) didn't aware this place existed; and was the best place to lock something up (_'To lock _who_, really?'_).

And suddenly, everything was on its place when Ichigo coicidentally thought about _who_. Everything suddenly connected like a fiber intertwined with each others, resulting as a rope.

Of course, how it was very obvious! That every little words Zangetsu ojii-san had said to him was actually indirectly pointing towards _him_, and _him_ only.

Towards his long lost brother.

"Hichigo…,"

Then he remembered everything.

He remembered that evening.

* * *

_It was a very lovely evening, as Ichigo could hear countless shoutings of countless children rushing around him, holding what seemed to be big colorful balloons. Was he in a park or something? Seeing that there's also some parents along with their children and also some handful of couples walking around. But it was way too crowdy as a park (since when did couples walk around in a park anyway? Weren't they supposed to be sitting alone on a bench?). But realization dawned on him when he saw a big ferris wheel before his brown eyes, standing all high and mighty amidst the peoples. So he must be at an amusement park._

_He glanced around, then concluded that this amusement park was the same one Karakura Town had today. Was he finally back to the real world, or was this just a figment of his memories?_

_That was his first though, when suddenly his (non-existent) body was brought into one of the ride of the big ferris wheel he saw earlier._

_There, he saw two boys sitting on the same seat across him. Two nearly identical boys, with one of them having a bright orange colour of hair, while the other one have a snow white colour of hair, along with the rest of his body. It was him again. Him and Hichigo._

_The albino boy –Hichigo- was resting his head on the lap of the little Ichigo (he thought they're about 12 years old in a rough guess), occasionally the younger boy giving him a stroke on his snowy hair with his finger. _

"_You're so warm, Ichi." Said Hichigo after some moment of stroking._

"_It's not that I'm warm, you're just way too cold, silly." replied the little Ichigo still with his usual frown, although a small tint of red was clearly seen on his cheek. "Are you sure you're alright?"_

_The little albino didn't reply, but from his position, the real Ichigo could see a small smile crept onto the older twin's white face, looking content. _'Is this…, what we are used to be back in the day?' _thought Ichigo while he settled his body on the seat across of his past-self._

_A moment of silence once again went by, the real Ichigo still glanced in amusement on how his past-self could be so kind towards the past Hichigo, sometimes in a look of guilty accompanied with the soft sound of the ferris wheel rotating in the middle of sunset. He just couldn't believe it; how could he forget about his beloved twin? He who had shared all of his joy and sadness for the past 12 years before his death?_

_Wait, Ichigo thought again as he jolted from his seat. Something's wrong here…_

_Death? Whose death?_

_He shot a frightful look unto the pair seating across of him. He remembered now… Amusement park, ferris wheel, Hichigo resting his head on his lap, sunset in a blood-red sky… _

_Today was…_

"_Oi, Hichi? Wake up, will you? The ride is stopping."_

_The older twin was quiet._

"_Hichigo?"_

_There was still no reply._

"_Wake up, you dork. Wake up!" shouted Ichigo worried, now shaking his albino twin's body. Yet there's still no sound coming from Hichigo. Not even the sound of his breathing anymore._

"_Hichigo!! Wake. UP!!"_

_Right._

_Today was…_

_Kurosaki Hichigo's deathday.

* * *

_

When he opened his eyes, he met the worried face of his father, along with the other two pairs of worried glance of his sisters'.

No, his father didn't suddenly yell at him just like always, just looking at full-of-sweat face of his son in an eerily out of his usual goofy character glance.

"Are you alright, onii-chan?" asked Yuzu, while her small hand put a damp cloth on the forehead of her redhead brother. "You've been sweating all the time…,"

"And shouting someone's name that incredibly similar to yours." Added the other black-haired twin, looking as worriedly as her blonde twin. "What was it again… Hichigo?"

The oldest Kurosaki closed his eyes forcefully after hearing _that_ name, sparing not even a glance to his only living-son. He was not prepared for this, certainly not prepared. Rising onto his feet, Isshin tried to make his way towards the outer corridor, just before his only son's hoarse voice stopped him in his track.

"Stop right there, father." Said Ichigo in an eerily calm tone, even calling his father without his usual 'goatface' nickname anymore. He knew, that his father _knew_ about _him_.

"Why did you hide Hichigo from me?"

_~To be continued

* * *

_

Actually this chapter was supposed to be a LOT longer (explaining Zangetsu's first meeting with Hichigo 4 years ago –or so he said- and a full detail of the amusement park event. Also tried to add some little naughty 'things' in the ferris wheel. Canceled due to my friend –a boy- feeling slightly uncomfortable on reading too much yaoi awesomeness xD But why do you read this on the first place? This is supposed to be light-incest as the summary says it all! –kicked-) but then it'd take about…15 pages plus plus and I decided to cut it down. It'll take longer for me to write it lol. And hopefully I'll update soon since my two freaking months in hell of exam are nearly over. Please wish my scores will suffice when I finally get to know it in May later!

Well, review peoples! Suggestions are welcome, some critics (just don't be too harsh) for my atrocious grammar are also welcome, and just a one-word review is welcome! :D


	8. The Sorrow of 'Twins'

Hello everyone, I finally have the time to post this chapter. You see, my wholesome of exams are finally done, with me cowering in fear as I wait for the results to come (7th of May). Well, enough with my rambling, scroll down everyone! Enjoy the eighth chapter!

Disclaimer: Bleach © Kubo Tite. If it was mine, the 4th movie of Bleach would be a compilation of all ever-existing yaoi IchiXHichi fic we fangirl made, which, sad but true, is slim to none ;P

* * *

Rukia, noticed by no one, was standing outside the small bedroom of Ichigo, her sharp ears hearing every single word the Kurosakis had said inside.

'_So, he was _indeed_ had an amnesia back then,'_ thought the raven-haired girl as her brows creased a little more than usual. _'Not just any normal amnesia too.'_

She crossed the both of her hands at her chest, feeling morose—no, _rage_—to anyone who had induced this made-up amnesia to her best friend that made him forgetting his—his _most_ important person for goodness' sake! _Of course_ this was a made-up amnesia; anyone who had the intelligent more than a monkey would know this right away (to be said, a little knowledge of shinigami's equipment should be included too). Not any normal amnesia could sweep the memory of a single person in one's mind as easy as flipping a hand.

And, considering the circumstances 4 years ago (she assumed Ichigo lost his memory at that time, looking back at his twin's death year, which was 1997), especially looking back when the redheaded Kurosaki said that he hadn't met a single shinigami in his life, there's only one person who could be the suspect.

Only one who could be the suspect, one who had had the technology of a shinigami since long time ago _and_ one who had lived in the real world and knew about Karakura Town deeply.

Rukia's hand quickly reached into the inside of his dress' pocket, producing what seemed to be a white-coloured phone. She flapped the phone open roughly, before typing into the phone's keypad in an incredible speed while the poor machine struggled to display the numbers which the vigorous girl had typed at once. She brought the phone to her right ear after she finished typing the numbers. When she was waiting for the damn shopkeeper to answer her call, Rukia heard four familiar voices rang from the inside of Ichigo's room.

"…I can explain this." It was Kurosaki Isshin's. In a rather gloomy voice too.

"Then explain it _now!!_" And of course, this was the rough voice of Ichigo.

A deep sigh, then "Yuzu, Karin…,"

"We know, dad."

"…please don't fight with daddy, Ichi-nii…,"

There was a moment of silence, but the reply from the oldest brother of the Kurosaki Rukia had been waiting for never came. (She figured that he was shooting a look of guilt in his face to his blonde sister which read _'I'm sorry'_. She thought that he just not had the strength to say it)

Then Rukia saw the fraternal twins got out from the room, a feeling of worry clearly written on the girls' face. Karin then took the chance of their departure to close the door, leaving the only men in the Kurosaki household in private. She looked at Rukia who was still standing beside her, looking back at Karin's dull eyes with the same tension as the younger girl's.

"Rukia-san," said Karin, catching Yuzu's attention when she was going to take a step down the stair. She was reluctant at first, her hands buckled into a tight fist as she gazed at the wooden door she had closed before with her black eyes. In the end, she sighed a little, trying to let out all of her worry in that invisible cloud of breath, before looking back at Rukia again with a hopeful gaze.

"Please help my brother," resumed the black-haired Kurosaki. "He's an idiot; always so close-minded towards anyone with his problems. No matter how much I tried to make him spill the beans, he would never budge. I know _I_ can't get him going anywhere, but, _you_, Rukia-san…,"

Not waiting for Karin to continue her dangling speech, Rukia smiled meekly, before putting her free hand on the younger girl's shoulder and said, "I'll try, okay? You're right, your brother is an idiot." with a reassuring voice.

Karin giggled a little at Rukia approval of his brother's idiocy (she also heard her blonde's twin chuckle). Well, it's indeed a common knowledge to anyone who was close to Ichigo, though. His brother was just so-so…

The boisterous girl quickly stopped her giggle, and she turned around, glancing at Rukia's face once again in a pleading look, before walking down the stairs with her sister, leaving the raven-haired shinigami alone in the quiet corridor.

'_I'll try, Karin-chan. I'll try…,' _thought Rukia in her mind, trying to reassure herself more than she reassured the black-haired Kurosaki who had gone into the first floor with her blonde twin with her incessant chanting. _'I'll try…, Karin-chan. I'll try, if I knew what happened to Ichigo and his brother—,'_

'_Click!'_

'_Finally,'_ said Rukia in her mind when the other person at the other side finally answered, pausing her chanting in an abrupt halt as she returned to her usual solemn voice.

"_Urahara Shōten here, may I help you with anything?"_

"Urahara, it's me."

"_Ooh~! Kuchiki-san!" _cried the former captain of the 12th squad in his seemed to be a forceful sing-song voice, as Rukia noticed how it was slightly wavered. _"How unusual for you to be calling us in such a strange time! Ooh, or may you be trying to postpone Kurosaki-san's—examination—?"_

Rukia's mind clicked a little at the tone of Urahara's last word.

Got him.

It was obvious how the blonde shopkeeper's breath hitched a little when he mentioned about Ichigo.

'_He knows something_,_' _thought Rukia. _'Something important that is.'_

"Urahara, explain." Said the Kuchiki girl in a creepily sternful voice, triggering a dead silence at the other side of the phone. "Explain about what you know about Ichigo's made-up amnesia and his deceased brother _now_, in full detail no less. And about his magically healed wounds too." Heck, given that she was pretty skilled with her _kidou_ skill, she knew, that even with the captain of the 4th squad's healing ability, a wound that extreme wouldn't healed in a matter of day—hours, even more. Truth to be said, she knew that all of his redhead friend's wounds were all healed since she had checked him before when she found Ichigo's unconscious body during their little 'trip' at the graveyard (and was dumbstrucked when she saw Hichigo –Ichigo's twin brother-'s tombstone in front of the both of them). Countless possibilities struck her head when she tried to find what had gone wrong to Ichigo that made him lay unconscious—_'Maybe he was off-guard and a hollow attacked him _again_?'—'The wounds are open again and brought him great pain?'—'His (already) idiot head got hit by something and resulting in a concussion or what?'_—but, no; there's no wound at all, not in his mortal body, not in his shinigami (soul) body. There's not even a single scab that hinted there was a wound there at all.

It's like it was never there.

"Why did you hide him from me?! Do you have no heart for your son?!" a hoarse voice of someone's familiar brought her back from her contemplating, eyes slightly narrowed when she realized that the voice came from the inside of the room. It was Ichigo's.

"I did that to save _you_!" came a rushed reply from the head of the Kurosaki family. "You think I would gladly trash Hichigo as easy as you were saying?!"

"What, so you were saying that I could stand right here and right now because my brother is _dead_? Because Hichigo is dead now that I can be…'saved' as you said it?! Then I'd better not live at all!!"

'_Slap!!'_

'_He really snaps,' _thought Rukia in her mind as she bit her lips when she heard the sound of the father (she thought) slapping his son (she thought). Her face was worried, and slightly guilty, for not being able—no, not being _allowed_ to interfere the fight that currently was on. She couldn't. Of course, it was their family's business after all, something she shouldn't take part in. A half of her seemed to scream like _'I shouldn't be here at all,'_, but the other half, the other one that had promised to Karin-chan (and to herself) to try her best helping Ichi-nii from his current ordeal, begged to differ. Being a Rukia she was, of course she chose the other side who begged to differ, planting her naked feet deeper on the floor.

Promptly sighing, remembering that she was currently on the phone with the (strangely) dead silent Urahara (it was also uncanny how he hadn't hung up already, or was he hearing all of the fuss that was happening inside the room? Their voices –as a man- were loud, after all), she resumed her question (or more, like, _demand_), "Urahara."

A cough at the other side of the phone, before rang the words, _"It's going to be a long story,"_

"Then make it short." Replied Rukia with sarcasm.

Urahara merely sighed, knowing that the Kuchiki wouldn't hang up until she got some information from him at the least. Reluctant he was, as he always felt uncomfortable and guilty when he was forced to said all the things he had hidden to the others. The all things and information he had hidden were hidden for a _reason_, a reason that was people better off not knowing at all. It was for the best for them (or at least it was what he thought), yet when he needed to let the truth spill from his mouth, he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt stabbed him. Just like this time.

Deciding to finally tell Kuchiki-san after the moment that seemed to be like forever, Urahara said, _"Fine, I'll start with the easier one. Does Kuchiki-san remember about Kurosaki-san's fatal injuries?"_

"Yes, yes. Of course I know, that's what I was asking you about." Replied Rukia morosely.

"_Then, do you remember about hollow—especially the high-class one—'s regenerative ability?"_

The raven-haired shinigami frowned a bit at the shopkeeper's out-of-context question. But she replied nonetheless, given that she was a very diligent student back in the academy, "Well, _yes, _I remember, but what does it have to do with this?"

"_Well, to be said, Kurosaki-san's body developes said ability, making his injuries quickly healed."_ Said Urahara immediately, making Rukia's purple eyes twitched ever so slightly.

What?

What?

…_What?_

Was the mad scientist (not as mad as the current 12th squad's captain, but still…) had finally lost his mind?

"…I thought you clearly stated that it is a _hollow_'s ability, or have my ears fooled me?" asked the exasperated shinigami, rubbing her temple as she did so.

"_Well~ Yes, I did say hollow there, Kuchiki-san~! Although I'd not mind if you want to have an ear check-up at my place. I'll even give you discount!" _cheered Urahara back in his usual annoying voice (Rukia could see –think- him grinning mischievously at the other side of the phone, hands gripping the edge of the poor white phone in an attempt to hold her building anger), hoping for an easy big fat money.

"Hey! I am talking about important matter here!" shouted Rukia in a low tone, trying not to disturb Ichigo and his father inside.

"_Woops~ Aah, yeah, anyway, I meant what I said; it's a hollow's ability, yet Kurosaki-san was able to develop such thing." _Resumed the blonde shopkeeper, back to his unusual serious voice.

"But—how? It's not possi—,"

"_It _is _possible, given with the right subject and material and all."_

Rukia's purple eyes widened when Urahara cut her objection. Realization dawned on her, as she finally understood what the enigmatic shinigami was implying all along. It didn't take long for anyone (even Renji) when he had started talking about _subject _and _material _and—and… She chose not to finish the words, and quickly whispered into the phone in a very angry tone, "…Are you saying, you turned Ichigo into a hollow?!"

"_No, no, not hollow," _Urahara abruptly cut the Kuchiki girl's accusation, but then he continued, _"The more correct term would be a Vizard, but it's not a correct name either."_

Rukia frowned at what Urahara said, her building anger quickly replaced with sheer confusion, "Wait, what _is _a Vizard?"

"_I thought you're asking 'what happened to Kurosaki-san', not 'what is a Vizard', Kuchiki-san?" _asked the blonde shopkeeper in his mischievous tone, trying to pry the question Rukia had asked out of curiosity, in fear of explaining _another_ truth only he and a handful of shinigami knew of. Beside, _"It's too much question at once, Kuchiki-san~! I'd prefer a question a time, please?"_

Gritting her teeth, Rukia nearly wanted to throw the damn thing she was clutching to her ear upon the wall. Dear, how much time she'd need to just hear _a _bloody explanation from the annoying sing-song voice of _that_ former captain of 12th squad?! Or did all of the captains in that crazy squad was as mad as a mad person can be?!

"Urahara, _please_, I need you to tell me _now_." Continued the raven-haired girl, trying to sound as polite as she could without adding a force in her voice (she'd tried her best, if you're wondering). "I don't have all day."

There was an exasperated sigh at the other side of the phone (and Rukia realized that the older man had been prying those questions _all along_. But, there's no need for more anger, right? He's finally going to tell her, and anger would only waste more of her time), and Urahara said with a stern voice, _"Well, about 4 years ago—,"_

"Get off!! Get off of me!!" a scream from someone familiar abruptly cut Urahara's words, in the same time as the small head of Kuchiki Rukia turned around to see an orange-headed man barging out from the room, with the other man's hand clinging to his wrist with a scary look Rukia couldn't fathom coming from the oldest man of the Kurosaki household. She quickly took a step back, in fear of getting caught in their fight, hand still clutching to her phone with the man in the other side's voice no longer coherent.

Still, she hadn't seen Ichigo in such a frightening state; a clearly-seen rage ornating his scowling face, with his limbs all kicking and hitting, trying to pry Isshin's glued hand in his hand with undescribeable anger. "Get your hand off of me!!" shouted Ichigo, not even recognizing Rukia was watching the entire scheme.

"Not until _you_ calm down first!" replied Isshin with a loud voice, retaining his hard-headed nature towards his son.

"Why would _I_?! So that you can babble all you want, sermoning me with all talk about 'how I did that because I love you' and those bullshit, while in fact you throw your other son because of this so-called _love_?"

"Mind your words, Kurosaki Ichigo." shouted Isshin in an authoritive tone, making Ichigo flinched a little because of his unusual voice (making even Rukia to back off, hitting the white wall as she felt a strong _reiraku_ vibrating around the corridor in the same time as Ichigo's dad scolded him. _'W-what with this strong pressure…? I-I can hardly breathe…'_). "You're in my house. In the clinic, with your sisters downstairs, while _you_ are babbling with how _I _throwing _my_ son?"

'_Aack—!'_ She nearly screamed but found out that her voice was blocked out while the strong _reiatsu_ pressed her body like countless needle puncturing her skin that made her sliding down on the floor, both hands grasping her chest with the phone pressed against it, automatically shutting it down when the button of 'End Call' was hit.

But, as soon as it came, the strong pressure of _reiraku_ in the corridor died down when she thought she was going to die because of out of breath, clearly giving Rukia a time to pumped air into her empty lungs as she wheezed in the corner of the corridor, cold sweat trailing down her forehead and cheeks. _'Was it…Ichigo? But, he can't! Or, was it that Kurosaki Isshin-san was _controlling _his _reiatsu_…? Is he a…?'_

But her thought was completely shattered, as Ichigo quickly took the chance of silence to slap his dad's hand on his wrist, freeing his hand as he shot a vengeful glare towards his now silent father, not even attempting to catch his son's wrist again to hold him back.

"F-fine." Said Ichigo with a weary voice (_'He felt the pressure, too.'_ Thought Rukia, seeing his face glistened with sweat, but he seemed to handle the pressure far better than Rukia). "In _your _house, right? Your house—huh… Fine, I'll move out from here. I'll _vanish_ from here, just like as you hope Hichigo to be."

"Ichigo!!" Rukia abruptly shout, quickly forgetting her former thought as her feet trodded the wooden corridor, passing the still silent Isshin whose face was looking down to his feet, and grasped the taller man's shoulder, stopping Ichigo in his track. "Stop it! You're going to hurt yourself and your dad! Beside, you need to rest on the bed first!"

But he paid no attention, nor did he try to turn around to see Rukia with her widened purple eyes. Instead, the redheaded Kurosaki simply walk along the corridor, forcing Rukia's small hand to be released from his shoulder as he walked down the stairs. She only watched with guilt of being unable to stop his best friend as Ichigo's body was out of her sight, hearing the shouting of both the younger twins calling for their brother from downstair in a hopeless gaze ("O-oh, onii-chan, would you like to eat? I've prepared the food for you—ah? A-are you going somewhere, nii-chan?"—"H-hey! Where are you going? Hey! Ichigo! Answer me! Hey!").

When Rukia turned around to see Isshin, in hope of him stopping his idiot son as she was unable to,

She found that he was still standing on the same spot with a trail of tears streaming on his cheek.

* * *

The once-blue sky had turned to grey, with a sound of brewing storm coming from the far-end of the world. Not within a minute more to go by, the heavy rain had started pouring down, each droplets of water clattering as it hit against the window-pane, breaking the silence that was ruling the once-peaceful world.

But he paid attention, nor did he try to find a shelter to protect his albino body from the raging rain (hell, there's not even a single shelter –let alone house- to be seen in this twisted world to protect him should a rain come –like this time-. Sometimes, he was grateful that he lived most of his 4 years of life trapped in his brother's subconscious mind, where there were only darkness and darkness and…darkness. It still sucks so badly though. But once he stepped out –finally!- from that forsaken world…, he was promptly greeted by a _storm?_ Was he _that _unwelcomed by that idiot redhead? –before he knew the truth, of course- Heck, Ichigo was seriously in need to redecorate his inner world, really. Preferably some shelter or house or mansion with green scenery and pure-breed dogs).

Kurosaki Hichigo was laid sprawled on the side of the building, letting the rain splattering his white body, wetting his also white _shihakushō. _Although artificial, the rain was refreshing to his body, as he hadn't felt the rain for, like, 4 years who had been like forever.

4 years.

He spent 4 years of his life trapped in his brother inner world, unable to see his lovely Ichigo. Yet he was residing in _his_ world. Hichigo thought it was ironic, on how he was so close to his most important person in his life, yet he was so far.

He sighed at the thought, seeing his breath reformed in a small puff of white (it was cold, mind you) before once again lost in the stream of rain. Rubbing his no longer protruding snowy hair (he actually preferred this style, although the bangs covering his eyes were annoying), Hichigo turned his head around to see Zangetsu-san still standing firmly on the small pole beyond the building he was currently sprawled on. Zangetsu-san was looking at the grey sky, the rain splattering his orange-tinted eyeglasses.

"It's raining." Said Zangetsu-san, with the voice seemed to resonate in the inner world, enabling Hichigo to hear his hoarse voice although the human-manifestation of _zanpakutō _was standing so far to him like a magic.

'_No shit, Sherlock!'_ thought Hichigo as he deadpanned. _Of course_ it was raining, couldn't he see that he was wet as hell like this? But, he chose not to voice his thought, as it'd come out rude (you thought he had no manners as a hollow? He'd be slapped by his mother) and better not make Zangetsu-san mad (_'Was he capable of being mad, though?'_) at a time like this. And as another minute went by, there was only silence in the world except for the sound of splattering-water.

Zangetsu tore his gaze from the grey sky then, before looking at his master's brother who still hadn't moved from his sprawling position. He said, "What are you going to do? Now that Ichigo has known about your existence."

"Nothin' at 't momen'." Replied Hichigo simply. "Too tired ta move, blastin' a Cero after a nap is bad fer your health, I guess."

The _zanpakutō _did not reply, as he was still slightly angry to the white-skinned man before him from that 'little' incident sometime ago he mentioned, that luckily brought remembrance of Ichigo towards his twin –this boy who fired the blood-red Cero-. It was because the plan Hichigo had told him first-hand did not include _killing _his master (_"Hey, of cour'e King wouldn't kick ta bucket by a Cero, would he? The Cero was jus' a tranquilizer!"_ that was what Hichigo's objection when he asked him a few minutes ago –with a glare, of course-. _"Err, okay, maybe not a tranquilizer, but it'd still put 'im ta sleep at ta least!"_).

"But, I'm going to kick in once he realized about it," said Hichigo suddenly, bringing Zangetsu back from his contemplating as he noticed the change in his accent.

"That way, we'll be together back, right, Zangetsu-san?" He smiled what seemed to be coming from a psychopath, a face fueled with happy expression just as like as a child being given a chocolate. "We'll be together, for_ever! _Only us three in one peaceful world…,"

He ended his wistful speech with a relieved smile, then…

"…with no one to separate us again anymore."

_~to be continued

* * *

_

For anyone who's confused, the story took place _before _the Arrancar arc, so Rukia had no knowledge at all of a vizard (and~ I don't think they taught Vizard subject in the academy, nor did they tell it to the current Gotei 13. Arrancar maybe, given that it's a race of hollow. But, Vizard? When 8 _captains/vice-captains _getting turned into a hollow? That'll create a ruckus, won't it?).

And, yeah, poor Rukia. :P Had wasted her time, but still hadn't gotten the explanation of our dear Urahara. As I have said, I _love_ to make Rukia suffer. Not in a bad way though~ But of course! As the time comes, we'll see Urahara spill the candies! I want orange-flavoured! (coughcompletelymissingthepointcough)

Last but not least, review everyone! Suggestion, opinion, critic are all welcomed! And lol, one word review too! (looking at **LiquidObsidianEyes** xD)


	9. The Wish of 'Twins'

I'm really, really, really sorry! I've had everything planned from this chapter onward, it's just… I just can't type it… Writer's block, seriously… Anyway, regarding one of the review from **Sheriyuu**, I promise it'll be explained in the latter chapter^^ And as for Isshin, a little spoiler, he'll be introduced to Rukia again in his shinigami form. As in which chapter, I do not know yet, as I usually typed much much more than my first expectation… Can't promise you for a definite chapter. Oh yeah, and beware for this chapter, as it majorly contains of our beloved girl, Tatsuki! And mass words in Italic, for that matter.

Disclaimer: Bleach © Kubo Tite. I only own a Kon pocket, and that's pretty much about it.

* * *

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Arisawa Tatsuki rested her head on both of her palms while her elbows firmed its place on the white window sill of Orihime's new apartment (she finally had rented one after Tatsuki forced her to do so since her kick out from her old apartment. Now her –maybe temporary- house was located at the far-end of Karakura Town, with the window on her room looking towards the thick forest of Karakura). With her weary black eyes, she watched as the orange-colored sun set itself on the horizon ornated with thick bush of foliage with no real reason to watch it. Just out of boredom, maybe.

It's like a moment of peace after an exhausting day of school—how she always watched the sun set with Orihime at her side. Her brunette best friend said she always loved how the red dragonfly start to appear when it was evening, especially near the river area when it was summer. She pondered why Orihime always took a liking towards insect –especially the red dragonfly-, maybe it's because they're insect (she had a strange hobby after all), maybe it's because they had wings (the brunette always mentioned she'd like to fly freely in the sky), or maybe it's because they reminded her of her deceased brother.

Inoue Sora.

Then, there's another one, his name was Kurosaki Hi—

…

She wouldn't dare to finish that word.

It pained her so much.

Her weary gaze stared at the setting sun once again, somehow hoping that she'd be calmed by its tranquiling reddish rays.

'_It's just like that time,' _she said in her mind. _'The difference is that we were at the cliff. I and…,'_

Tatsuki sighed again. Now, it's sounded more like a defeated sigh.

"Gah," she groaned a little as she scratched her not-itchy hair. "This sucks."

She was here, in Orihime's house, to relax her body; to forget about him, not to _remember _about him. Now why would she force her mind to remember about Hichigo, instead of trying to forget about him?

He's dead. Kurosaki Hichigo was dead. Dead. Not live. Had passed the boundary of the mortal life. Living in the afterlife. Whatever. There's nothing in the right mind of Arisawa Tatsuki that could change that fact.

But it still budged her.

Maybe he's not the best person that had lived in the world, but he's not the worst either. Okay, maybe he was a jerkass (so witty with his words, creepy, nerd, love to spit profanities and…well, _jerk_). Okay, okay, he was so protecting of his little brother—Ichigo, that's a plus for him. Okay, he loved his twin sisters too, there's another plus. Maybe he's not the luckiest person alive, regarding his albino disease and illness, but he was still a jerkass.

But Kurosaki Hichigo still didn't deserve whatever things that had happened to him.

She meant; people couldn't just forget about _a person—_the entire memory of this person's existence—just like forgetting about everyday chores you could easily forget, could they? The problem was, they really _did_—they really did forget about a person—Hichigo…

…and the fact that she's only the person who remembered about him was making her crazy.

She—Arisawa Tatsuki—who _hated_ (okay, not hate, but still…) Kurosaki Hichigo with passion for being a creep.

"Aaargh! Damn you, Kurosaki!" shouted Tatsuki indignantly to no one. "Stop messing with my head again!"

"E-eh? W-what about Kurosaki-kun?"

Tatsuki gasped a little at the sudden soft yet bemused voice which came from behind her. She turned her head and found a confused brunette standing at the entrance of the room with both hands holding a tray where two glasses of orange juice were placed on.

"N-no! No! I-it's not about Ichigo!" stuttered Tatsuki, waving both of her hands in denial before continuing, "It's, err, a-about, Hichigo, err yeah, right! I meant Hichigo!"

"Hichigo?" tilting her head slightly, Orihime asked and took a few steps forward. The brunette took a sit beside Tatsuki, and after placing they tray onto the floor, she concluded softly, "Kurosaki-kun's brother?"

Tatsuki returned the question with a weary sigh, "Yeah."

Orihime, brown eyes still focused at her orange juice below, said nothing at the matter. A few moments of awkward silence fluttered in the room, before finally broken by the brunette's voice.

"Tatsuki-chan…," she said tentatively, before bracing herself with a deep breath and continued, "Tatsuki-chan, would you bother… telling me about how Kurosaki-kun's brother died? U-uum, Hichigo-kun?"

The black-haired girl looked at her friend who was blushing madly in shame (the girl quickly realized about her mistake that she had asked her friend about an incredibly sensitive-subject who had succesfully made her _cry_). Tatsuki quickly dismissed her shame by shaking her head a few times, a small smile tugged at her lips.

"Don't be like that, Hime. I'll tell you about him," said Tatsuki, hand grabbing the brunette's reassuringly.

"Or, at least, I'll tell you… Tell you everything the day before he died, the last time I saw him…,"

_It was another Saturday. And it was evening. A Saturday evening I thought to be another usual day with no unusual thing to pass. I was walking down the street alone—the street near the cliff where you can see the calming sea easily. I was planning to go home to my house after that day's football practice for the upcoming school match. _

_But then, as fate was tying us, I spotted him._

_As white as snow, differing himself from the rest of the reddish scenery for it was a lovely evening, he was standing still on the edge of the cliff. He seemed to not notice me, else he'd start bickering at me again with how I always made Ichigo to cry (although he'd stopped crying after losing any match –if any- at that time, so I knew that his threatening just purely made from his wants to mess with me). As he kept looking at the setting sun faraway at the horizon, tainting the blue sea with its orange-ish color, I thought about to not disturb him. It seemed as if he was in deep thought or something, something I should not bother._

"So, that's the last time you saw him?" asked Orihime out of curiosity, sipping another small portion of her orange juice.

But, Tatsuki shook her head, while her juice still left untouched on the tray.

_No, I just… couldn't leave him like that. _

_I didn't know that time, and I still don't know what as for today… I didn't know what made me stop there, like, there was something… something calling me from the depth of my mind, telling me to stop and instead talk to him._

_Beside, while the other reason was the strange desire calling me from my mind, another reason was that I knew that Hichigo was not in a good health for about months. He had stopped coming to school, although occasionally showed up at class, somehow always claiming a perfect score for test (well, that guy was way more nerdy than his brother, looks seriously can deceive, huh? _"Like you, Hime,""Eheh~! Hehehe~," "Stop giggling.""Aaw! Don't whack me with Enpa!"_). From Ichigo, I was told that he was still kept to the current studies, said to be home-schooled by his father. Well, Kurosaki-san is a doctor, after all, he should've been classifying enough to be a teacher._

_But, still, as time passed, the interval from when he came to school kept stretching into a longer time, days became weeks, weeks became month, until he really never showed up again._

_The last time I saw him at his house was… he was…in his bed, in the patient room, sleeping peacefully while I played with Ichigo at the other room. Sometimes I took a peek inside when Ichigo was not looking, gazing at Kurosaki-san who stayed by his side every minute, sometimes stroking his pure white hair with his brass yet gentle hand. Hichigo, oblivious to the wistful gaze his father kept give him, kept sleeping throughout the day without even one flutter of eyes which would be a sign for him for finally waking up._

_At that time, I realized…_

_His life was deteriorating._

_There was not much time left for him to be alive._

"Huh? O-Orihime-chan?"

Orihime was seen hiding her eyes with both of her hands, sometimes letting a hiccup for Tatsuki to hear. It was obvious that she was crying, although she had tried her best to not to.

"S-sorry, Tatsuki-chan…," said Orihime weakly with a sob, clamping her hands on her lap tightly while a droplet a tear at the edge of her eyes threatened to fall. "I just... you know, I may not know who Hichigo-kun was…, but, knowing that he was once Kurosaki-kun's brother… it was…," _'sad…'_ she finished in her mind, an image of her deceased brother –Sora- once again flickered.

Tatsuki waited for Orihime to stop crying, offering her a tissue paper to wash her round face from tears. She took it, and put the thin and smooth paper on her face and let it absorb her tears.

Then, Tatsuki said, "Orihime-chan… Do you want me to continue?"

Orihime nodded weakly, "Please do,"

_So, with that reason, I walked up to him, quickly standing on the spot beside him. Hichigo quickly tilted his head to the side, looking at me with a perplexed stare._

"_Arisawa?" he said softly, almost inaudible. I felt my heart wrenched again hearing his weak voice—as if he was going to fall apart in any second. But, I tried to brave my heart, and pulled a cheery expression unto my face, yet I felt it was obviously fake, and, looking at his face, I knew that he saw through my façade, but decided to leave it at be._

"_W-well," I stuttered, still keeping my brave face. "What are you doing here, Kurosaki? Teaching small children yet again with your 'colorful' words?"_

"_Meh," his lips wavered into his typical grin. "As if ya gonna stop makin' boys cryin' ag'n, wonder how ya got raised by your mother as a kid. Mus' be pretty messed up."_

_Heh, he still kept his annoying-self, although at time all pure symphaty quickly melt itself into an angry expression I wore. I nearly decided to just leave him like that and go straight to home instead, if not for a sudden violent coughing fit he suddenly had that forced me to stay by his side._

_He kept coughing and coughing as I watched him in pure silence, unable to do anything. What could I do anyway? We were alone at the street with me having no cell phone at the time, nor that Karakura Hospital was near and all. Of course, I already had the mind to run into the town to call for help, but I feared that his body couldn't stand the pain and fall from the cliff instead—which would make matters worse._

"_Ku-kurosaki? Kurosaki! A-are you alright?" It was a silly question. Really, really silly. A faint hope a kid like me had at the moment that he'd mutter a "Yes.", no matter how weak, because, seeing a people—your _friend—_die in front of you is not really a great spetacle, is it?_

_Of course, the fit hadn't stopped like I wished it'd be; it got worse. He fell onto his kness and clutched his mouth, trying to hide a red liquid coming from the inside of his mouth, yet failed to keep some of it to drip onto the abysmal sea beneath._

"…_I'm…," finally he was able to speak a word after that coughing fit finally ceased, albeit a whispered one. He cleaned the blood at his mouth with the back of his head, before whispered again, "…I'm alright." Weak and soft, with no imply of sarcasm at all. He truly wished to be _alright.

"_You—you are_ not_ alright! And with this condition, you by all means should be in bed instead!" I shook his shoulder, trying by any chance to free him from his wistful notion of being healthy at any form. He just fixed his gaze onto the side, trying to avert any direct eye-contact with me, like he was being guilty of something. Then, it all came to me, from both of my sentences and his guilty-looking face: Why would Hichigo –in this worst condition I'd ever seen him in- be in the outside, far from home, with no one to accompany him? Not even Ichigo or his father or—or…his sister… or whoever? A condition where he should be appointed into a hospital instead? Yes, yes, Orihime, he…_

"_You ran away, didn't you?"_

_His yellow eyes flickered for a second, before dimming ever so slightly._

"…_You're going home, _now._"_

"_I don't want to," I noticed that he didn't use his usual tone again, clearly meaning that he was dead serious by it. But I didn't bother with it, and kept nagging him:_

"_Ooh, stop going so emo like this, you idiot! Where's the obnoxious, annoying Kurosaki Hichigo I knew about?" I shouted to him, pulling him by his white shirt, but he still didn't budge from his spot, as if his feet was firmly planted into the ground itself, like an ignored white edelweiss on the top of a mountain waiting to wilt._

"_He's right here, Arisawa, and he's gonna die at any moment."_

_Yes, he said that, Orihime._

_He really said _that_._

_As if there was no hope left for him in the world and all thing he can do at the moment was waiting to die._

"_You're not going to die!" I shouted in pure denial, although, somehow, deep in my heart, I knew _it was coming _to him_. _"You're not going to—to…die! Your father will nurse you back to health, okay?"_

"_Ooh, please, Arisawa, even an idiot know that this poor albino guy is going to kick the bucket at any time soon," he said, rolling his eyes as he let out a humorless smirk. "And my father can't do anything about it. He can't control the cycle of death, no matter how both of his jobs are ironically befitting to the task."_

"_But you just _can't _lose hope yet!" I was still persistent at time, like an obnoxious child denying the truth about losing a match. "There are so many people in the world who struggles for the living, yet you just wanted to throw your life just like that?"_

"_I'm _not_ throwing my life," he said morosely while his eyes narrowed dangerously. But his expression soften, as if the action itself had drained him from every energy left in his body. He spoke, "It's not that I'm throwing it, Arisawa, it's just that I know that this fragile body has reached its toll."_

"_Don't speak like that," I said. Of course, it was a very horrible subject to be discussed when you're still a kid, as we all knew it. The imagination of people losing life and to never come back was…horrifying. No matter even if it was the people you most hated in the world. _

"_Do _not_ speak like that, idiot," I repeated it again, as if trying to clarify my point. "How—no, _what_—what will happen if you just die like that? You know, h-how about…me? You can't mess with me again when you're dead, can you! (He snickered at this) A-and then, your sisters! They loved to play with you, and you can't play with them when you're dead! And your father! Didn't you say you'd like to be a doctor, like your father, someday? How about that? Won't your father be sad if you just lose hope at your dream, then? Your mother (his eyes once again narrowed at the mention of his mother, but I didn't bother with this, no matter how he'd complain at me later), of course your mother would like you to be a doctor, right? Helping the living to maintain that life, and the others? Then, Ichigo…,"_

_I grabbed both of his pale hands with my own. Hands so icy, as cold as a corpse, as if no blood was flowing through his veins._

"_Ichigo… He'd be alone, wouldn't he? H-he… He'd cry… Like old times… When I beat him… And there'd be no you, to scold me about it…," I said so weakly, tears welling in my eyes, making his weak form to be blurry in my sight. It was scary, as like his body would break like shattered pieces of mirror as soon I took my eyes from him. "Please… Think about how Ichigo would feel…, how no one would protect him…"_

_At first he seemed to have no answer for this, as he bit his lips guiltily. But, he gripped my hands back, saying, "…Then I just need to leave him to you, right?"_

_My eyes seemed to crack so wide as if it'd fall from its pocket._

"_What?"_

_The grips on my hands tightened. He gave me another sad smile. _

"_Arisawa, I seriously hate to admit this, but…," he was hesitant at the moment, averting his eyes from direct-contact and looking at the reddish sea instead. Suddenly, his face contorted into that of a pain, biting his lips so hard to resist the urge to have another fit of violent coughings that spammed his body from the inside like a ceaseless plague. Both of us knew that he was not going to have any much time left, so he tightened his death-like grip on my hands, saying "I'm going to leave you to protect Ichigo."_

_I was silenced at this, as if he just had stolen every words I knew to construct a sentence of denial. I just kept looking at him incredulously, secretly hoping that everything he had said was just a _very smooth-going plan _to mess with my head. _

"_I don't know what I'd done to him later, or what would befall on him at that matter, but you will protect him…, won't you?" asked him, adding a sad smile at the end of it. It did it; my façade quickly fell, a single stream of tears stroking my cheek as I tried to kept my brave face but failed to everytime I wanted to pull one. _

"_Hah… Seriously, it'd be so funny looking at your priceless face had it occurred at another day…," he said, letting out another chuckle as tear kept welling in my eyes. Then, somehow I felt my hands he gripped going warmer as a sudden gust of wind swept through us. I don't know what it was, or how he did it with his usually cold as ice skin, but he was so warm… As if I was in a room with a warmer with a blanket tightly bound to my hands. Yet the feeling dissipated as soon as it came, returning the cold and stinging sensation of his skin as he shot me a thankful look._

_Suddenly, I heard a vrooming sound ringing in the air, and I turned my head, only to find a blue-tinted car behind us speeding up across the narrow street of the hill before abruptly jerking into a halt beside us, leaving a screeching sound and a small, nearly invisible grey smoke in the air. From the car, there came an orange-haired boy as old as us, face ridden with a horrified glance as he looked at us. Another middle-aged man stepped out from the driver seat, bearing the face not nearly as panicked as his other son. _

_Without another second to waste, Ichigo quickly rushed to his brother's side, clearly not noticing or bothering with my presence at the time, as if the boy had found a priceless treasure no one else in the world ever find, which, in a sence, he did._

"_Are you out of your mind? Running off from home just like _that _and panicking four of us?" the younger twins asked with pure disbelief, grabbing Hichigo by the wrist so tightly that the albino winched a little._

"_Eh, a little sight-seein' wouldn't hurt," he replied flippantly, earning another worried yet angry glare from Ichigo. Without another resistance from him, Ichigo successfully pulled him into the car, muttering something too low to me to heard. I just watched them as he closed it with a 'click'. I heard Kurosaki-san let out a weary sigh, rubbing his nose bridge with his hand. _

"_Ooh?" the elder Kurosaki shot me a guilty look after finally noticing my presence, now rubbing the back of his head with his right hand. In the end, what he could do was to give me a meek smile. He came up to me, and said, "Tatsuki, isn't it? Sorry for Hichigo, was he bothering you?"_

"_No, no! D-don't worry, Kurosaki-san, I was not bothered at all." I said too quickly, but he seemed to not notice this, though, and instead gave me a relieved sigh. He turned around after saying a, "Thank you for watching after Hichigo," to me, entering the driver seat as the car prepared to take them home. After the sound of machine finally started to work, he seemed to realize about something. Kurosaki-san then opened the window, looking at me again with his calming, fatherly gaze._

"_Would you like a ride? I'll take you home, safe and sound! Oh, and free, of course!" said Kurosaki-san with a happy grin from ear to ear. He was trying to be strong—to be happy, strong for both of his children like that. It was heart-wrenching._

_I shook my head, "Thank you, but no. It's pretty near, just a 10 minutes walk from here," I pointed my finger to the long road above. He nodded in understanding, then closed the window._

_When the car started to leave, from the glass pane, I saw him for the last time, glittery yellow eyes boring itselves into mine with an apologetic look, while his lips muttered,_

"…_Good bye, Tatsuki."_

"Then, at Monday, there was an announcement at school about his death," Tatsuki said weakly, grazing her black locks with her hand. "I don't know ho he died, or where he was buried. Nothing… And then, I never heard about him anymore. Not even from the teachers, not even from my classmates, from his sisters, his—his… _Ichigo…_ Anyone…,"

"Tatsuki-chan…,"

"I just hope… Just—that everyone remembers him, that's all…, so that—that, at the least, he will know that there's someone who still loves him…,"

The black-haired girl buried herself into the brunette's hug, somehow feeling completely drained while Orihime patted her back lightly, sometimes rubbing it to offer comfort to her.

Maybe… Maybe she might not know who Kurosaki Hichigo was,

But of course, to be remembered by the livings so that he could still know that there was someone who still loved him was indeed a very pleasant things to have.

'_Please let Tatsuki-chan's hope comes true, so that Kurosaki-kun's brother knows that Kurosaki-kun still loves him…,'_

It was the best for them to wish that everything would be alright…,

…right?

_~to be continued

* * *

_

Uuh, the last part was a bit rushed… Sorry, I ran out of words. Okay, I admitted, at first I was gonna type the contract of the seal with a cliché blinding light which in the end made Hichi vanish right in front of Tatsuki. _It's cheesy_, so I discarded the idea. Second thought, making Hichigo and Tatsuki kissed each other. Yes, you read that right. –burnt by expecting-yaoi-fans- Then I suddenly remembered that I was writing a yaoi fic and quickly dissed it (Sorry, I've a sick thought of shipping HichiXTatsu hard after IchiXHichi. And yes, all of my het pairs are cracky). So you get it; would be a wonderful omake to make, wouldn't they? –killed- So, I dunno, I do have a mind about making a fic about them. A light-mood interlude or something? But I'm not good with jokes…

Anyway, yay! Reviews finally hit the 80 numbers! Seriously, thanks guys! When I first posted into this fandom, I seriously don't think that I'd get so many reviews like this. So, yay! Again! Well, keep reviewing, guys! –get shot by shameless nagging- You just don't know how I kept smiling throughout my mailbox list :) Thanks yet again, and again for bothering to keep up with me with this ooh-so-late update!


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